The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE LIFE OF HERMON RUDOLPH NETHERLAND
______
HON. BRIAN BABIN
of texas
in the house of representatives
Monday, March 29, 2021
Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Hermon Rudolph Netherland, who passed away on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the age of 94. Hermon was a U.S. Navy World War II veteran, longtime resident of Tyler County, and deeply respected by all who knew him.
Hermon was born on April 21, 1926, in Enterprise, Louisiana, to Anne and Neal Netherland. At a young age, his family moved to Port Arthur, where he was raised. Like many kids of his generation, Hermon worked from an early age. His family had a large garden and they grew an assortment of fruits and vegetables from bell peppers to cantaloupes. Hermon had the responsibility of tending the garden. His duties included hoeing, watering, and picking the vegetables. At the onset of WWII, Hermon felt led to serve his country and wanted to enlist. However, Hermon's father was against this decision, fearing his 15-
year-old son would go to war. After spending the next year convincing his father, Hermon was finally allowed to enlist in the Navy.
After completing Basic Training in San Diego, California, and signal school in Chicago, Illinois, Hermon enrolled in underwater demolition training at Fort Pierce in Florida. He soon qualified as both a Navy signal man and frog man, (someone who assisted with underwater demolitions). After a deployment in Newport, Rhode Island, Hermon went on to participate in nearly every major campaign in the Pacific Theater. Throughout the war, he would be based on the USS Birgit, a troop transport and cargo ship. His duties would rotate between signalman, frog man, and manning a landing craft taking troops to shore on several of the most dangerous invasion campaigns. Hermon was present for the U.S. invasion of Guam, Sai Pan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the Philippines, and the Marshall Islands. While in the Philippines, Hermon and fellow Navy frogmen were tasked with helping to open the Straits of Hormuz.
The USS Birgit returned to America after the war via the Panama Canal. Conveniently, its final stop was the Port of Orange, where the ship was then decommissioned and sold. Essentially, the ship he had spent the entirety of the war on, traveling across the Pacific Ocean, delivered Hermon to his own front door. Shortly after returning home, Hermon met Velma, the love of his life. They were married soon after she completed high school. They were blessed with 64 years of marriage and a wonderful baby girl. Following his time in the military, Hermon went to work for Texaco in Port Arthur and retired from there after many years of service. During his retirement, Hermon enjoyed spending time at his cabin located on Lake Amanda in Colmesneil to hunt and fish.
Hermon is survived by his sister-in-law, Charlene Netherland of Oregon, and numerous friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Neal and Anne Netherland; wife, Velma Netherland; and daughter, Sharon Netherland.
Madam Speaker, I honor my friend Hermon Netherland as one of the last members of the Greatest Generation. His faithful service to our country will not be forgotten, and my heartfelt prayers remain with his family and friends during this difficult time.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 58
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