September 9, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 143 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H7550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING SEPTEMBER VETERAN OF THE MONTH ANDY KOEHL

  (Mr. SPANO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SPANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor World War II veteran, 
Colonel Andy Koehl, U.S. Army Retired.
  Colonel Koehl enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard in 1936. 
During World War II, he spent 43 months in the South Pacific, during 
which he participated in five amphibious landings as an artillery 
officer, was wounded in action, and was awarded the Purple Heart.
  In August 1945, he again risked his life as one of the first 
occupation troops to enter Hiroshima after the atomic bomb.
  Following World War II, he continued his stellar career by serving 
multiple worldwide tours of duty, including service in Vietnam from 
1961 to 1963 as part of the first advisors dispatched to that area.
  And this past May, Colonel Koehl celebrated his 100th birthday. But 
in fact, it is we who celebrate him.
  Our Nation owes him a debt of gratitude for all he has endured over 
30 years of service to protect our freedoms and a faith that brought 
him through the darkest days of war.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Colonel Koehl. I thank him for blessing us 
with his life of sacrifice.

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