Congressman Ralph Abraham, gave a speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to honor the life and service of Ruston resident Adolf "Wes" Wesselhoeft.
Wesselhoeft was born in the United States to German immigrants. During World War II, he and his family were moved to a German internment camp, similar to those of Japanese and Italian Americans. Wesselhoeft's family was eventually traded to the Germans for American POWs, and they survived Allied bombings after being sent to Germany.
Despite these challenges, Wesselhoeft returned to the United States at his earliest possible opportunity and promptly joined the Air Force. He served for 22 years and flew bombers during the Vietnam War where he was exposed to Agent Orange. He is now legally blind.
Dr. Abraham met Wesselhoeft at an event at the Chennault Aviation Museum and wanted to share his incredible story with the rest of the country.
"Wes represents the best of America, a patriot who never gave up on his country. His service to his country, as well as the horrors he and his family suffered in Germany, will never be forgotten. America is better because of people like Wes, those willing to give up everything to serve the American cause," Dr. Abraham said during his speech.
Wesselhoeft and his wife, Shirley, came to Washington to visit before the speech and watched it live from the House gallery.
About 11,000 German Americans lived in these internment camps. Wesselhoeft said he hopes the National Park Service will recognize German internment camps in the same way it has done for Japanese and Italian internment camps.
"I really appreciate what Dr. Abraham said. I hope Congress will do more to recognize German internment," Wesselhoeft said. "We aren't asking for reparations; we just want history to recognize what happened."