[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: November 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    TRIBUTE TO SGT. DANIEL PATTERSON

                                 ______


                            HON. BART GORDON

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 29, 1994

  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, as America commemorates the 50th anniversary 
of World War II and reflects on how its battles altered world history, 
I would like to take a moment to remember the heroes of that war and 
let them know that we have not forgotten their sacrifices.
  The men and women who fought in World War II not only took part in 
history, they also created it and are living records of an era that 
must not be forgotten. Sgt. Daniel Patterson of Gallatin, TN, is one of 
the many men who fought honorably and bravely in that war.
  Four battles, two Purple Hearts, and four Bronze Stars later, 
Sergeant Patterson returned home. The Battle of the Bulge is probably 
the most widely known of the battles in which he fought and is also 
where he received his first Purple Heart in December 1944 after being 
shot. He was awarded a second Purple Heart during the winter of 1945 in 
Germany when he saved a lieutenant's life and was shot in the shoulder 
in the process. The most amazing feat about that evening was that after 
being shot, the Sergeant swam across a river in below-zero 
temperatures. Of the 40 men who attempted the swim, only 9 survived.
  Sergeant Patterson, gathering in St. Louis with other veterans from 
that historical battle, deserves to be remembered and his story retold. 
His youngest daughter, Iva Rose Patterson Cavanah, told me the story of 
the Battle of the Bulge. Sergeant Patterson's squad was the first to 
cross the Remagen Bridge over the Rhein River in March 1945 and 
successfully protected the bridge until all American men and equipment 
crossed. Along with the rest of Company 8, his squad also helped in the 
liberation of concentration camps.
  In a letter to the Sergeant dated March 27, 1945, from former U.S. 
Representative Wirt Courtney, Courtney states that ``I notice that you 
have more decorations than nearly any boy from our District.'' His 
daughter, now a staff sergeant in the army, recalls a reunion in 1988 
where soldiers from the squad told her, ``If it weren't for him, we 
would've never survived World War II.'' And I am sure that the 
lieutenant whose life Sergeant Patterson saved many years ago in 
Germany would have a kind word as well.
  After the war, Sergeant Patterson returned to Tennessee where he 
married, worked as a pipefitter, and had four children. He is now 
retired. His two sons, John and Wayne, are pipefitters like their 
father. One daughter, Sarah, has worked for the State of Tennessee 
Child Support Division for 20 years, while Iva Rose followed her 
father's footsteps into the military.
  The Battle of the Bulge was a turning point in the European theater, 
crushing any remaining German momentum. Books and documentaries have 
immortalized the battle and its significance. Having played a role in 
that historic undertaking is something in which every veteran should 
take pride.

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