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[Pages S5390-S5391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
______
REMEMBERING WETZEL SANDERS
Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, today I wish to honor the legacy
of a member of our Greatest Generation: Pearl Harbor survivor, Purple
Heart recipient, and World War II Veteran--American Hero--Wetzel
``Sundown'' Sanders.
Born on June 25, 1923, in East Lynn, to Barney and Emma Jane Sanders,
[[Page S5391]]
Wetzel grew up working in his father's coal mines. He was humble and
kind with an unparalleled sense of humor, and his devotion to God,
State, and country was unmatched. I was honored to call him a friend,
and I know I join so many when I say West Virginia has lost a shining
star. He is dearly missed.
Ever since the historic beginning of our State, we have never failed
to answer our country's call. No demand has been too great, no danger
too daunting, and no trial too threatening. Wetzel wanted so dearly to
serve our country that, when he was 17, he lied about his age to join
the Army. It was in the military that he received the nickname
``Sundown'' because of a childhood story he told his Army buddies. As a
boy, he and a friend would occasionally sneak into a chicken pen, grab
one of the birds, then sneak off to the woods where they would butcher
their ill-gotten fowl and have a chicken fry. A sergeant asked him,
``When's the best time to steal a chicken?'' He replied, ``Well, any
time after sundown.'' The name stuck.
Wetzel served as an anti-aircraft gunner stationed at Hospital Point
at Pearl Harbor on the day of the Japanese attack, December 7, 1941.
During the attack, he shot down Japanese fighter planes that were about
to attack the hospital. Wetzel was wounded during the attack, and it
was an absolute honor to work on his behalf and present him with the
Purple Heart nearly 76 years later. Along with so many of his friends
and fellow veterans, we presented Wetzel with the Purple Heart that he
so rightfully earned on that fateful day. We all hold that memory dear
and are deeply thankful to have presented that award to Wetzel in
person.
Wetzel remained in Hawaii until March of 1942. From there, he
traversed the Pacific, fighting the Japanese on Guadalcanal and
Bougainville Island. His outfit was about to head to the invasion of
the Philippines when a colonel from Morgantown sent him home. The
colonel asked how long he had been away, and when Wetzel told him, he
responded, ``Lord, how do you stand it? I've been out of West Virginia
for six months, and it's about to kill me. If you've got anything to
pack, pack it.'' Wetzel agreed with him, and after 3 years and 4 months
overseas, he finally made it back home.
After serving in the military, Wetzel worked for and retired from the
Department of Highways. Never one to be comfortable in retirement, he
became a bus driver for Tri-River Transit System, where he earned the
title of, at the age of 89, the oldest bus driver in America.
Throughout the rest of his extraordinary life, Wetzel continued to pay
homage to his fallen comrades, attending multiple anniversary
ceremonies of Pearl Harbor.
When visitors come to West Virginia, I jump at the chance to tell
them we are home to the most hard-working and patriotic people in the
Nation. We have fought in more wars, shed more blood, and lost more
lives for the cause of freedom than most any State. We have always done
the heavy lifting and never complained. We have mined the coal and
forged the steel that built the guns, ships, and factories that have
protected and continue to protect our country to this day. I am so
deeply proud of what West Virginians, like Wetzel, have accomplished
and what they will continue to accomplish to protect the freedoms we
hold dear. We have every reason to be proud and to stand tall knowing
that West Virginia is the reason Americans sleep peacefully at night.
Wetzel is survived by three children, Sherry Handley, Beverly
Sanders, and Greg (Regina) Sanders; two grandchildren, B.J. (Tracey)
and Ashley Sanders; three great-grandchildren, Savannah (Kyle) Handley-
Watts, Georgia, and Macon Handley; his sister Willa Faye Fry; and a
host of many, many extended family and dear friends. I know he and
Kathleen are smiling down on each of you.
West Virginia is great because our people are great--Mountaineers who
will always be free. We are tough, independent, inventive, and honest,
our character shaped by the wilderness of our State--its rushing
streams, its boundless blue skies, its divine forests, and its majestic
mountains. We are West Virginians, and like the brave, loyal patriots
who made our State the 35th star on Old Glory, our love of God and
country and family and State is unshakeable. I know that 20, 50, or
another 156 years from now, that will always remain the same. That
legacy laid the groundwork for heroes like Wetzel, and now he serves as
an inspiration to all who wish to follow in his footsteps and live a
life filled with patriotism, service, faith, and family.
There are so few of our American heroes left from Wetzel's
generation. It is our responsibility and our privilege to ensure that
their service and sacrifice is never forgotten. It is an honor to have
called Wetzel a friend and to have helped him receive the recognition
he very much earned and deserved. The sun will never set on Wetzel's
legacy of service, his generosity, his love for his family, and his
devotion to God, our home State, and our beautiful country.
____________________
