SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 23--HONORING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE FOUGHT DURING WORLD WAR II, RECOGNIZING THE VALIANT EFFORTS OF THE ALLIED FORCES IN DECEMBER 1944, AND...; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 130
(Senate - July 31, 2019)
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[Pages S5259-S5260]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 23--HONORING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
BATTLE OF THE BULGE FOUGHT DURING WORLD WAR II, RECOGNIZING THE VALIANT
EFFORTS OF THE ALLIED FORCES IN DECEMBER 1944, AND REMEMBERING THOSE
WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, ALL OF WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ALLIED
VICTORY IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER
Mr. CRAMER (for himself, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Daines, Mr.
Isakson, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Roberts,
Mr. Rubio, Mr. Hoeven, Ms. Collins, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Moran, Mr. Rounds,
Mr. Wicker, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Graham, Mr. Risch, Mr. Young, Mr.
Boozman, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Scott of
Florida, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Toomey, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Warren, Mr. Coons,
Mr. Schumer, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Jones, Mrs.
Gillibrand, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Booker, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Tester, Ms. Rosen,
and Mr. Van Hollen) submitted the following concurrent resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Con. Res. 23
Whereas the Battle of the Bulge was the last major German
offensive in Western Europe during World War II, designed to
split
[[Page S5260]]
the Allied Forces, regain the initiative in the West, and
pressure the Allies to seek a negotiated peace;
Whereas, in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg,
more than 650,000 troops from the United States, Great
Britain, Belgium, Canada, and other Allied Forces defeated
Germany in the Battle of the Bulge, which began December 16,
1944, and ended January 25, 1945;
Whereas the Battle of the Bulge resulted in over 89,000
United States casualties, including 19,000 soldiers killed,
47,500 wounded, and more than 23,000 captured or missing-in-
action;
Whereas the Allied Forces overcame formidable obstacles
that included being greatly outnumbered by the German Army,
harsh weather conditions, and the treacherous and unknown
terrain of the Ardennes Forest region of Belgium;
Whereas on December 17, 1944, during one of the worst
atrocities of the war in Europe, the Malmedy Massacre, 84
unarmed American prisoners of war were shot by troops of the
1st SS Panzer Division;
Whereas 11 African American soldiers of the 333rd Field
Artillery Battalion were massacred by SS troops near Wereth,
Belgium and were identified as James Stewart of West
Virginia, Due Turner of Arkansas, Curtis Adams of South
Carolina, Mager Bradley of Mississippi, George Davis, Jr. of
Alabama, Thomas Forte of Mississippi, Robert Green of
Georgia, James Leatherwood of Mississippi, Nathaniel Moss of
Texas, George Moten of Texas, and William Pritchett of
Alabama;
Whereas the impressive leadership of Lieutenant General
George S. Patton of the Third Army accelerated the success of
the Allied Forces during the Battle of the Bulge;
Whereas, although Belgium lost more than 74,000 civilians
during the war, in addition to many more having suffered
through other atrocities that come with war, the people of
Belgium persevered through the difficult period of time and
rebuilt their lives the best they could after the war ended;
Whereas the success of the Allied Forces in beating back
the German attack in the Battle of the Bulge made possible
the final defeat and surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945;
Whereas the citizens of Belgium and Luxembourg have
generously hosted thousands of United States veterans and
kept the memory of the Battle of the Bulge alive through
numerous memorials and museums, including the Henri-Chapelle
American Cemetery and Memorial, the Ardennes American
Cemetery and Memorial, the Luxembourg American Cemetery, the
Battle of the Ardennes Museum, the Bastogne War Museum, and
the Bastogne December Historic Walk; and
Whereas, after the Battle of the Bulge ended, British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill said, ``This is undoubtedly the
greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be
regarded as an ever-famous American victory.'': Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That the Senate--
(1) commemorates, on December 16, 2019, the 75th
Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II;
(2) recognizes the valiant efforts of the various Allied
Forces; and
(3) remembers the individuals who made the ultimate
sacrifice, which contributed to the Allied victory in the
European Theater.
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