On the recordDecember 16, 2024
I am truly grateful that today the House is taking up my legislation to honor a truly extraordinary constituent of mine whom we lost earlier this year. My bill would rename the Auburn VA facility after Grass Valley resident and World War II veteran Lieutenant Commander Lou Conter. It is notable that in order to advance this legislation, we actually had to get the signatures of each and every member of the California congressional House delegation. That is 52 people who came together and all signed on to this bill. I think it speaks to what a true American hero Lou Conter was. He was, in fact, the last survivor of the attack on the USS Arizona during Pearl Harbor. On that fateful day in 1941, Commander Conter heroically evacuated shipmates who were blinded, wounded, or burned, even restraining some of his fellow shipmates from jumping overboard into the burning sea. Then, on the day after the attack, he helped in recovering bodies and putting out fires. Lou Conter's heroic actions saved the lives of many of his shipmates. Not only that, but he also continued to serve our country for decades following Pearl Harbor. He flew over 200 combat missions. On one of those missions, Commander Conter would be awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross for actively taking part in the rescue of 219 Australians trapped by Japanese troops in New Guinea. He later served in the Korean war and retired from the Navy in 1967 after 23 years as a lieutenant commander.…
