Remarks as Delivered:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a true West Texas giant and American hero - Mr. J.L. Stevens of Big Spring, USA, a World War II veteran who just turned 100 years old this past week.

He is a living monument to the grit, courage, and quiet humility and service that define both West Texas and America's Greatest Generation.

In 1943, at just 17 years old, Mr. Speaker, this gentleman enlisted in the United States Navy, serving as a Gunner's Mate aboard the USS Hambleton, where he directly engaged the enemy on D-Day while supporting the Allied invasion of Normandy.

Despite suffering combat injuries in Europe, Mr. Stevens continued his service, which concluded in 1945 in the Pacific Theater, where he personally witnessed the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender in Tokyo Harbor, bringing World War II to its official end.

After the war, Mr. Stevens returned to his home in West Texas where he worked as a carpenter, helping to build the firehouse there in Big Spring and the city's original VA hospital.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. J.L. Stevens represents the very best of West Texas - in his heroic service to our country and in a lifetime of hard work, faith, and devotion to his family, to his community, and to this great country of ours.

I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing him a happy 100th birthday and thanking him for a legacy of service that will long endure.

Mr. Stevens, here's to many more!

God bless you and God bless America.