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Congressional Daily Record
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May 29, 2026
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Extensions of Remarks
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Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextHON. DARREN SOTO
of florida
in the house of representatives
Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor John Paul Church as distinguished leader in Central Florida for Military Appreciation Month. John Paul Church was born on April 25, 1926,
in New Castle, Pennsylvania, where he lived until retiring to St. Cloud, Florida. Known to family and friends as Paul, he worked at Shenango China in New Castle and later at Dale McClymonds Trucking in nearby Portersville, Pennsylvania, before moving to Florida for retirement. He was also a devoted member of Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Portersville.
On October 25, 1947, Paul married Marian Gibson. Together they built a loving family that included their son, Dan; three grandchildren, Gail, Victoria, and Scott; six great-grandchildren, Jessica, Rebecca, Kaden, Asa, Maya, and Jonah; and one great-great-grandchild, Emerson.
Theater aboard the USS Wilkes-Barre (CL-103) as a Fireman First Class. He was honorably discharged on May 5, 1946. As a plank owner, he was part of the original crew when the USS Wilkes-Barre was commissioned on July 1, 1944. The ship earned four Battle Stars for its service during the Philippines Operation. Iwo Jima Operation, Okinawa Operation, and the final assault against Japan. While anchored in Tokyo Bay, the USS Wilkes-Barre witnessed the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63). During his military service, Paul was awarded the Pacific Theater Ribbon with four stars, the American Theater Ribbon, the Victory Medal, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one star.