HLS 20RS-162 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2
BY REPRESENTATIVE TURNER
COMMENDATIONS: Commends Adolf Wesselhoeft for his service to the United States
1 A RESOLUTION
2To commend Adolf Wesselhoeft on his dedication and service to the United States and to
3 recognize his inspiring patriotism.
4 WHEREAS, Adolf Wesselhoeft was born on September 8, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois,
5to German immigrant parents; and
6 WHEREAS, in 1942, after the United States declared war against Nazi Germany,
7Mr. Wesselhoeft's parents were forced to register as "enemy aliens", and his father was sent
8to a prisoner-of-war camp in Wisconsin; the Wesselhoeft family was later reunited and sent
9to a family internment camp in Crystal City, Texas; and
10 WHEREAS, in February 1944, the Wesselhoeft family was sent to New Jersey,
11where they were placed on the SS Gripsholm, a Swedish neutral ship, and exchanged for
12American prisoners-of-war held by the Nazis; and
13 WHEREAS, in Germany, the Wesselhoefts relied on the goodwill of extended family
14members who took them in; they lived in a suburb of Hamburg, one of the most heavily
15bombed cities in Germany, and survived bombings from both the British Royal Air Force
16and the United States Eighth Air Force; during this time, the Wesselhoeft family endured
17fear, deprivation, and hunger; and
18 WHEREAS, after the war ended, the family moved to Konstanz in southern
19Germany, which was part of the French zone of occupation; in Konstanz, Adolf Wesselhoeft
20attended and graduated from the prestigious Alexander-von-Humboldt Gymnasium; and
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HR NO. 2
1 WHEREAS, during his time at gymnasium, he maintained regular contact with the
2United States Consulate in Stuttgart, which was a two-day bicycle ride from Konstanz, and
3returned to the United States as soon as the Consulate informed him that he, being an
4American citizen, could do so; and
5 WHEREAS, upon arriving in New York City, he sought out the military recruiting
6station in Times Square and enlisted in the United States Air Force as an airman basic; and
7 WHEREAS, Mr. Wesselhoeft served for twenty-two years in the Air Force and
8retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel; during his service, he was commissioned as an
9officer and trained as a navigator and an electronic warfare officer (EWO); and
10 WHEREAS, Mr. Wesselhoeft served in Vietnam as an EWO on EC121s and on B-
1152s, serving in the mighty Eighth Air Force, the very unit that bombed the city of Hamburg
12when he was a child; in total, Mr. Wesselhoeft flew 5,525 hours, 1,230 of which were during
13combat; and
14 WHEREAS, Mr. Wesselhoeft also earned a degree in electrical engineering from the
15University of Missouri, graduating Cum Laude; after retiring from the US Air Force, he
16worked as an engineer for the Department of Energy's Strategic Petroleum Reserve; he
17retired at seventy years of age, having worked his entire adult life for the United States
18government; and
19 WHEREAS, despite the troubles of his childhood, Adolf Wesselhoeft has gone far
20above and beyond the call of duty to give back to his country; he is a disabled United States
21military veteran who embodies the American spirit, and his patriotism and service are most
22deserving of recognition.
23 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
24Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Adolf Wesselhoeft on his lifelong dedication
25and service to the United States of America and does hereby recognize his inspiring
26patriotism in the face of struggle.
27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Adolf
28Wesselhoeft.
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HR NO. 2
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 2 Original 2020 Regular Session Turner
Commends Adolf Wesselhoeft for his lifelong service to the United States and recognizes
his life's accomplishments.
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