[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 71 (Thursday, June 9, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  TRIBUTE TO S. SGT. WALTER D. EHLERS

                                 ______


                        HON. CARLOS J. MOORHEAD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 9, 1994

  Mr. MOORHEAD. Mr. Speaker, as D-day was recognized around the world, 
it is fitting that we remember the events which immediately followed 
the initial Normandy invasion. Today marks another significant 
anniversary. I wish to commend the recognized heroic deeds, 50 years 
ago today, of then S. Sgt. Walter D. Ehlers.
  On June 9, 1944, outside Goville, France, 23-year-old Sergeant Ehlers 
and his squad, having three days prior been among the thousands that 
landed at Omaha Beach, pressed on in their inland assignment of 
reporting information about German defense. His duties first and 
foremost in his mind, Sergeant Ehlers was also concerned about his 
brother, Roland. The brothers had been through campaigns together in 
Africa and Sicily and were separated for the first time at Normandy.
  In a countryside surrounded by the enemy and without waiting for 
orders, Ehlers crept ahead of his squad to spot and neutralize German 
forces. This action led his men against a heavily defended enemy strong 
point. Sergeant Ehlers personally killed four enemy patrol who attacked 
him on his mission. He then led his squad through a haze of mortar fire 
to stop the German mortar section, himself killing three more men. 
Ehlers, again covered by his men, was next responsible for 
singlehandedly knocking out a German machinegun nest. Walter Ehlers was 
a spearhead of the Allied invasion and before the fighting was done, 
his colleagues called him a ``one-man platoon.''
  On June 10, having advanced deep into enemy territory, the platoon of 
which Sergeant Ehlers was a member, was ordered to withdraw. The men 
were under continuous enemy fire. Ehlers stepped into the middle of the 
fighting to divert most of the hostile action on himself so that his 
squad could withdraw. Although the Sergeant was wounded by sniper fire, 
he was still able to carry a squad member to safety and then, under 
heavy fire, went back to retrieve his rifle which he was forced to 
leave behind.
  The courageous and aggressive actions taken by S. Sgt. Walter D. 
Ehlers earned him the highest of honors. On December 11, 1944 in Paris, 
the newly promoted Lieutenant Ehlers was awarded the Medal of Honor. 
The citation for bravery which accompanied the medal details his heroic 
deeds. These actions remain an inspiration to us all today.
  Although Ehlers did not lose a single member of his squad during the 
landing at Omaha Beach, he found out later that his beloved brother, 
Roland, was killed by an enemy shell before he was able to set foot on 
the beach. A company commander explained that Roland and Walter had 
been intentionally separated as the chances of one of them surviving 
the invasion would be greater.
  Today, Walter Ehlers is 73 years old and is one of three living Medal 
of Honor recipients who received this honor for their actions during 
the Normandy invasion. In July, the Navy League of the United States 
and the Air Force Association will honor Ehlers at a special ceremony.

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