The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN RECOGNITION OF EDWARD GAZEL'S 100TH BIRTHDAY
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HON. DEBBIE DINGELL
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Friday, March 26, 2021
Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Edward Gazel of Lincoln Park on the occasion of his 100th birthday. His contributions to our community and to our nation are worthy of commendation.
Mr. Gazel was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and is a 1939 graduate of Detroit Northwestern High School. During the Great Depression he earned money working at the Detroit Golf Club, caddying for Michigan sports legends like Coach Harry Kipke and Detroit Tiger Mickey Cochrane. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he volunteered for the Marine Corps.
He was sent to San Diego, California for boot camp and was then assigned to a medium tank unit of the Second Tank battalion, Second Marine Division. The stories of his service are numerous and detailed and cannot only be shared in one short speech. His unit saw action at Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. After the Japanese surrendered, his unit was assigned to maintain order at the scene of the second atomic bombing in Nagasaki. He often remembers his fellow Marines who lost their lives in combat and is the last surviving member of his unit. Mr. Gazel was awarded the Bronze Star for his gallantry at Tinian.
After his return to the United States in December 1945 and his discharge from the armed forces in January 1946 he returned to civilian life, marrying Esther the same year. Together they had three girls and Mr. Gazel found his success in selling wholesale produce in Detroit. A true patriot and a decorated Marine, he is known to insist that ``the real heroes are those who fell in combat and rest under those markers on far away and sometimes forgotten battlefields.''
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Edward Gazel on his 100th birthday. He has honorably served this country through his exemplary military service during World War II. I join with Mr. Gazel's family and friends in extending my best wishes to him on his birthday.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 57
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