[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 9, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF V-E DAY

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                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 9, 1995
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, celebrations are being held this week 
throughout our Nation and across the European continent to commemorate 
the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. In 
London on Sunday, in Paris yesterday, and in Moscow today, millions of 
Europeans have gathered to give prayerful thanks for the hand-won peace 
which encompassed to continent 50 years ago this week.
  Although we Americans, as far as casualties go, got off light 
compared to our European allies. In fact all nations involved in World 
War II suffered and suffered greatly. By crossing the oceans to assist 
in the overthrow of the Nazi and Fascist empires, American soldiers, 
sailors, airman and marines not only disrupted and risked their own 
lives, they also disrupted the lives of the loved ones they left 
behind.
  The massive task of supporting our brave Americans necessitated a 
radical readjustment of our economy here at home. Automobiles and most 
household appliances were simply not available. You could not buy tire 
because rubber was one of the many, many commodities essential to the 
war effort.
  While World War II was in progress, the Soviet government, led by 
Joseph Stalin, demanded that the Americans and British invade the coast 
of France in order to take the pressure off the Russian army, which was 
bearing the brunt of the battle against the Nazis. There was also 
intense pressure here at home to get the job done with and invade 
France.
  Fortunately, our national leaders had a great deal of experience with 
warfare in France. During World War I, President Franklin D. Roosevelt 
was Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Navy, and Prime Minister Winston 
Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty, which is the direct 
equivalent of Secretary of the Navy. They both knew from sad 
experience, that a land war in the north of France, with both sides 
equal, would result in bloody trench warfare. During the 4 years of 
World War I, literally millions of young men--on both sides--sacrificed 
their lives in futile, pointless efforts to recapture a few feet of 
ground. It has been said that Britain scarified entire generations of 
young men in the trenches of World War I. even though the refusal of 
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill to replay that tragedy 
in many ways led to the distrust and bitter feelings between the 
Russian government and our own for the past 50 years, we should all be 
thankful that both Roosevelt and Churchill--along with Supreme Allied 
Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower--refused to initiate any invasion of 
France until we were assured of massive superiority in forces and 
materiel.
  Their patience paid off handsomely: less than 11 months after D-Day--
a day that many observers predicted would not succeed--we had not only 
successfully invaded the coast of France, but we had totally conquered 
the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler. We, together with our Russian allies 
advancing from the east, brought to an end that evil nation which 
Hitler predicted would ``last a thousand years'' but in reality existed 
slightly more than a dozen.
  A new book by David Fromkin, In The Time of the Americans, 
underscores the extent of the revolutionary changes World War II 
brought to the United States. In 1941, there was a sincere and heated 
debate in this nation about whether or not we should involve ourselves 
in what were called foreign wars. In 1945, our membership and 
leadership in the United Nations were taken for granted.
  In 1941, it was almost universally believed that the oceans could 
protect us against any hostile forces and that thus there was no reason 
for us to become involved in the affairs of Europe. By 1945, there was 
no question we were the leaders of the free world. As soon as 1946 and 
1947, we Americans were prepared to send assistance to protect freedom 
and liberty first in Greece and Turkey and then in Western Europe. By 
1950, we recognized our responsibility to repel aggression on the 
Korean peninsula.
  In 1941, Americans were in many ways a prejudiced society. Most of 
our south was deeply segregated and many public accommodations refused 
service to Jews. The Ku Klux Klan had a following.
  By the time the war ended, Americans of all races, creeds and colors 
fought side by side and thus learned that far more binds us together 
than separates us. There was a long path to travel yet, but the first 
steps were taken on the road to racial equality.
  The newsreel cameras and the magazine photos showed American troops 
liberating the concentration camps of Germany, thus sending us all a 
message of what racial, ethnic or religious bigotry can lead to. Anyone 
who lived through the Holocaust can not help but vow that nothing like 
this will ever happen again.
  Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday I was deeply honored to have been able 
to participate in ceremonies at Camp Shanks Museum in Orangeburg, NY. 
Camp Shanks was the major east coast point of embarkation during World 
War II, and it was fitting that ceremonies commemorating the end of the 
war be conducted there. ``Ruptured Duck'' awards were presented to 
nearly 150 survivors of World War II, and an array of local officials 
shared their views on World War II with us.
  The ceremonies were held under the guidance of Jerry Donnellan, who 
as Director of the Veterans Service Agency of Rockland County, NY, has 
earned a reputation as one of the more compassionate and qualified 
friends of all our veterans.
  In my remarks on this solemn occasion, I reminded my fellow World War 
II veterans of the importance of our passing on to future generations 
the reasons the war was fought and what we experienced on the 
battlefields of Europe and the Pacific. I warned that we must not allow 
our revisionist historians to alter the truths of World War II.
  Mr. Speaker, let us pause during our busy schedule to reflect on the 
monumental changes which took place 50 years ago this week, when the 
guns and the bombs fell silent in Europe, and let us also pause to 
remember those who did not return and all those W.W. II Veterans who 
are still lingering in Veterans Hospitals across our land.


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