[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 89 (Monday, June 23, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        A TRIBUTE TO U.S. WEATHER BUREAU'S NORTH ATLANTIC PATROL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SUE W. KELLY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 23, 1997

  Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, my fellow colleagues: I would like to call 
your attention to a great service rendered to this country by the men 
who served as civilian weather observers with the U.S. Weather Bureau's 
North Atlantic Patrol during the Second World War. These men 
significantly impacted the success of D-day, and many other battles of 
World War II, and yet, they have never been given the public 
appreciation they so richly deserve.
  One of my constituents, Mr. Ray McCool, told me of these men, serving 
in the North Atlantic Weather Patrol aboard Coast Guard vessels, who 
obtained and transmitted essential weather data to Washington, DC. As a 
result, they made possible the preparation of weather maps used 
throughout the war. In fact, their long-range forecasts provided vital 
information needed to plan the D-day invasion. Their knowledge and 
talents made an enormous difference in the success of the overall 
mission and ultimately in an Allied victory.
  Their service was not without danger and sacrifice. Under the Geneva 
Convention Articles of War, the rules for treating military prisoners 
did not apply to civilians. Therefore capture by the enemy most likely 
meant being treated as a spy and shot. To prevent this, they were 
outfitted in Coast Guard uniforms, carried as chief petty officers and 
enlisted into the service as ``U.S. Coast Guard Temporary Reserves.''
  If capture by the enemy wasn't worry enough, they had the high seas 
and enemy ships to face. A typical mission took these men out to sea 
for 4 to 6 weeks at a time where they dealt with hurricanes and attacks 
from depth charges, U-boats, and German submarines.
  To date, the United States have never fully recognized the invaluable 
job these civilian weather observers performed.
  Today, let the record show we salute these unsung heroes and 
acknowledge their service to our Nation. Further, in order to show our 
proper recognition, I am recommending that each local veteran's office 
present a U.S. flag to the family of a deceased member of this elite 
ensemble of men. In the face of danger and against the odds, these men 
stood tall and answered our country's call to freedom, and for that the 
United States of America is forever grateful.

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