[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 40 (Thursday, March 21, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            REMEMBERING THE TRAGEDY OF THE ``LEOPOLDVILLE''

                                 ______


                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 20, 1996

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to 802 
brave American soldiers who lost their lives while defending freedom 
during World War II. Until recently, the tragic story of the 66th 
Infantry Division remained untold in U.S. history. These men made the 
ultimate sacrifice for their country and are worthy of a much greater 
tribute than the statistics or the footnotes in history books that have 
already been granted to them. As the worst troopship loss in World War 
II, and the third worst naval disaster in U.S. history, the story of 
the sinking of the Leopoldville deserves full recognition.
  On Christmas Eve, 1944, 2,235 American soldiers were crossing the 
English Channel as reinforcements to fight in the Battle of the Bulge, 
when their Belgian troopship, the Leopoldville, was torpedoed and sunk 
5\1/2\ miles from Cherbourg, France. The result was a tremendous loss 
of lives--almost one-third of the division was killed. There were 493 
bodies that were never recovered from the English Channel. Most of the 
soldiers who lost their lives were young boys, from 18 to 20 years old, 
barely out of high school. They represented 46 out of the 48 States 
that were part of the Union at the time.
  However, the most tragic and troubling part of this story is the 
American public's general ignorance of the facts. All of us, and 
particularly the family members of the lost soldiers, should be told 
the full story of their loved ones' valiant efforts in their fight to 
preserve democracy.
  Therefore, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering and honoring 
those that gave their lives in protecting the ideals that all Americans 
cherish. I would also like to remind my colleagues that this story 
should hold a special place in ever State's history. Simply put, the 
802 soldiers that lost their lives deserve the proper respect and 
remembrance for their sacrifice, and those that survived need to be 
recognized for their valor.

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