[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 8, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



[[Page E 2125]]


                       A TRIBUTE TO ABIE ABRAHAM

                                 ______


                           HON. PHIL ENGLISH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, November 8, 1995

  Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that 
I rise to honor Sgt. Abie Abraham, a distinguished veteran of World War 
II from Butler, PA, who is being recognized this week as the Butler 
County Veteran of the Year.
  Abie Abraham was born on July 31, 1913, in Lyndora, PA, to Syrian 
immigrants. At an early age, Abie showed perseverance and strength when 
he set a record in the Guiness Book of World Records for tree-sitting 
on a wooden platform for 3 months.
  In 1932, Abie Abraham enlisted in the U.S. Army. He had been head 
boxing coach in Panama in 1935, and as a boxer, has a 54-6 record and 
was light/welterweight champion of the Panama Canal Department. In 
1938, he was stationed in the Philippines, with the 31st Infantry 
Regiment as a platoon sergeant.
  Three hours after the invasion of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, 
Japanese forces hit the Philippines. After several months of intense 
fighting in horrible conditions, the Philippines and United States 
forces surrendered. A lack of food and supplies and exposure to 
tropical diseases had left the troops weakened when the Japanese took 
them as prisoners. Sergeant Abraham was on the infamous Bataan Death 
March during which so many American lives were lost. He was held as a 
prisoner-of-war from April 9, 1942 to January 31, 1945 until the 6th 
American Rangers freed the prison camp where what was left of the only 
infantry regiment stationed in the Philippines was being held. After 
his release, General MacArthur requested that Sergeant Abraham remain 
in the Philippines to locate and disinter bodies from the Bataan Death 
March so that they could be brought home for a proper burial. He 
remained there until July 1947.
  Sergeant Abraham retired as a master sergeant in 1955 with 23 years 
of service. He had received a Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster, a 
Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, as well as three Presidential 
Unit Citations and the Philippine Presidential Award.
  After retiring from the Army, Sergeant Abraham worked for the 
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as a road supervisor from 
1955 to 1962 before leaving to work for a family business until 1979.
  In 1971, Sergeant Abraham wrote ``Ghost of the Bataan Speaks'' which 
details his prison camp experience. His book is used in several States 
to teach the history of World War II. He also personally answers a 
multitude of inquiries from people all over the world about the Bataan 
Death March.
  In addition to serving his country, Sergeant Abraham has contributed 
on a local level in his community. In the past 6 years, he has 
volunteered over 10,000 hours working nearly 8 hours a day, 5 days a 
week at the VA medical center in Butler, PA. He is the POW-MIA 
Coordinator at the VAMC and has helped to arrange ceremonies to 
remember the Americans who were prisoners of war and those who are 
unaccounted for today. He spends time visiting with patients in the VA 
medical center as well as trying to resolve complaints and provide 
assistance to veterans and their families. He was honored in 1994 as 
the Outstanding Veteran in the State of Pennsylvania by the Department 
of Veteran Affairs.
  He has been a member of the Disabled American Veterans--Chapter No. 
64, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, 
the American Ex-Prisoner's of War, and the American Legion where he 
continues to be active in veterans issues.
  Sergeant Abraham served his country courageously in the face of death 
and remained true to the soldiers who served with him and lost their 
lives. He has used his experience to educate others about World War II 
and to honor the memory of the ones lost. Thankfully, for the community 
of Butler, PA, Sgt. Abie Abraham survived the horrors of the Bataan 
Death March and being held in a prison camp. The service that he has 
continued to give to the veteran community over the years is truly 
outstanding and worthy of our praise. I am thankful that Sgt. Abie 
Abraham is a member of our community and that he continues to make a 
difference in the lives of those he touches.

                          ____________________