On the recordMay 19, 2014
In recognition of Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day this month, we offer our deepest gratitude to those who have selflessly dedicated their lives protecting our freedom. In particular, I want to remember Second Lieutenant Walter Truemper and Lieutenant Colonel William Robert Holstine, both of Aurora, Illinois. Army Air Force Second Lieutenant and Medal of Honor recipient Truemper was honored this Armed Forces Day with the naming of Walter E. Truemper Lane in Aurora. As navigator of a B-17 bomber during World War II, Truemper was ordered to abandon his plane following German gunfire which killed the copilot. But as the pilot remained alive but immobile, he refused to desert the plane. Unfortunately, after three attempts to land the plane, it fatally crashed. Lieutenant Colonel Holstine earned several awards for his 29 years of service to the Army and was an avid runner, a military science professor at Wheaton College, and a project manager for the Army Reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Holstine lost his battle with cancer this February. I am privileged to be honoring him and his wife at Kane County's Memorial Day ceremonies next week. ____________________
