Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember an American hero from this country's Greatest Generation. John ``Jack'' Francis Hannigan was born March 27, 1918 to Frank Hannigan and Elsie Sternweiss Hannigan in New York City. He attended parochial school throughout his life, obtaining a college degree and a law degree from St. John's University in New York. Through his beloved sister Myrtle, he met the love of his life, Marion Josephine Ronayne, and he also fell in love with her large and caring Irish family. They were married on May 2, 1942 at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, thus beginning a union that lasted 67 years. Jack was a navigator and a lawyer in the United States Army Air Corps, serving during World War II in the European theater of operations. As part of the 397th bomb group, also known as the Bridge Busters, he flew 70 combat missions in a B-26 Marauder, including three over Normandy Beach on D-Day. He earned a Purple Heart during his wartime service. In 1948, his commission as a JAG officer was transferred to the newly created United States Air Force. Jack's and his wife's military service spanned 30 years, living in Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Arizona, Germany, Virginia, the Philippine Islands, Massachusetts, Maryland, and, of course, Texas.…”