[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S12399]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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     VETERANS DAY PRESENTATION OF THE SILVER STAR MEDAL TO ALBERT 
                            SPONHEIMER, JR.

 Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, on Veterans' Day, I will be 
participating in a very special ceremony for a very special individual. 
The occasion is the presentation of a Silver Star Medal 53 years after 
the event to a World War II veteran named Albert Sponheimer. It gives 
me great pleasure to submit, for the Record, the text of my remarks:
  The remarks follow:

        Silver Star Medal Presentation to Albert Sponheimer, Jr.

       I am so proud to be here today to honor Al Sponheimer in 
     front of his family and friends and, of course, all of you in 
     the audience--students who are fortunate enough to witness 
     this historic event.
       This is the part of my job I love the most--the fact that 
     we are all here today, 53 years, 5 months and 5 days after 
     the event to witness the presentation of a Silver Star Medal 
     for heroism. Al Sponheimer, a veteran of the Second World 
     War, is a testament to the saying that perseverance pays off.
       Al Sponheimer first contacted my office back in December 
     1994. In a characteristically modest manner, he asked for 
     information about how he might get his Silver Star, in the 
     absence of official documentation, 50 years after the fact. I 
     could see that Al was not comfortable pursuing this, but was 
     probably goaded into it by the four gentlemen sitting next to 
     him today.
       Anyway, back to the story. Soon after, we received a letter 
     from Captain Heitz outlining Mr. Sponheimer's heroic actions 
     on June 6, 1944. He wrote:
       ``PFC Sponheimer was one of two aides men assigned to my 
     battery. In fact, I was his first battlefield patient. He was 
     seen giving first aid to anyone who needed it, not 
     necessarily Battery A personnel. He roamed almost the full 
     length of Omaha Beach, helping where he could while many 
     around him were wounded by flying shrapnel or ricocheting 
     bullets fired from the Germans on the bluff of Omaha Beach''
       Once the Army read this letter, I thought for sure they 
     would send Mr. Sponheimer's medal by return mail. This was 
     not the case. The time for consideration of WWII medal 
     requests had expired. We had to apply to the Board for 
     Correction of Military Records where the average length of 
     time for consideration of these requests is about 2 years. 
     The application was sent in on February 7, 1996. 18 months 
     later the Board made a favorable decision--Al would finally 
     receive his Silver Star.
       And that is what brings us here today--appropriately on 
     Armistice Day--to correct a 53-year-old record and honor a 
     person who, under enemy fire, performed heroically.

  Mr. President, thank you again for this opportunity to submit my 
remarks for the Record. I hope Mr. Sponheimer's story will inspire 
other veterans to pursue their entitlement to military medals or 
awards, even if the lapse in time seems insurmountable.
  I also want to extend my condolences to the Sponheimer family at the 
recent and untimely passing of Al's wife, Audrey. I know her absence 
will be deeply felt by Al, their children and grandchildren on this 
special day. 

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