The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“MEMORIAL DAY” mentioning Debbie Stabenow was published in the Senate section on pages S2481-S2482 on May 12.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
MEMORIAL DAY
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to pay special tribute to the veterans throughout Michigan's history who have given their lives while serving our country. Whether they served in the Civil War or the Korean war, in the Middle East or the South Pacific, we owe these heroes so much.
Aleda E. Lutz is one of those heroes. She grew up in a large family; she was the youngest of 10 children--and her parents were immigrants from Germany. She graduated from Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw and the Saginaw General Hospital School of Nursing. When World War II broke out, Lutz felt called to serve her Nation.
She enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps in 1942 and began working as a general duty nurse at Selfridge Field. When she had the opportunity to become a flight nurse, she signed up. It wasn't easy; it required a lot of training. But Lutz, known as ``Lutzy'' to her friends, was smart, determined, and extraordinarily brave. She made the cut and joined the elite 2 percent of World War II nurses qualified as flight nurses. She was promoted to first lieutenant and transferred to the 802nd Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron, which soon deployed to North Africa.
Lutz transported more than 3,500 patients from the frontlines while earning six battle stars. She was known for her professional skill and her courage under fire. During her 196th mission, her C-47 plane crashed while carrying 15 wounded soldiers. There were no survivors. Lutz is known to be the first military woman to die in a combat zone during World War II.
Lutz is one of the most highly decorated women in American military history. She was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Purple Heart. An 800-patient hospital ship was named in her honor, as was a C-47 cargo plane. And in 1990, the Saginaw veterans hospital, long known by her name, was officially rededicated as the Aleda E. Lutz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. It remains a fitting memorial to honor a nurse who gave her life while serving her country.
Not all veterans have had to give as much for their country as Aleda Lutz did, but all of them are willing to. It is what sets them apart. It is what makes them heroes.
This Memorial Day, we honor 1LT. Aleda E. Lutz and all of the Michigan veterans who gave their lives in service to our country, and we thank our veterans who are still with us, as well as their families. Their courage, selflessness, and sacrifice bring honor to our State and our Nation.
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