[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 30, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H5163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     TRIBUTE TO SAMUEL BARNES MOODY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kuykendall). Under a previous order of 
the House, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a good friend 
and great American, Mr. Samuel Barnes Moody. Sam Moody, who was my very 
special friend and was very special to me personally, was born on June 
2, 1920.
  Last week, Sam Moody passed away in central Florida. I first met Sam 
Moody in my civic activities in central Florida some years ago. 
However, I never really knew much about his background until some years 
ago when I invited Sam and several other veteran leaders to a small 
luncheon gathering.
  As we sat together, I asked each of the veterans to relate some of 
their military service recollections after lunch to our group. Sam 
Moody started off rather hesitantly but he began telling an incredible 
story.
  Let me say a little bit about Sam Moody. He joined the old Army Air 
Corps on November 15, 1940. After his basic training, he was shipped 
out to Manila in the Philippines where he arrived on Thursday 
Thanksgiving Day, 1941. Some 18 days later, World War II broke out. Sam 
Moody and his group found themselves on Bataan and eventually they ran 
out of food and supplies in April of 1942.

  Sam went on to tell the story that on April 9, 1942, he and more than 
a thousand others took part in the famous Bataan Death March. Over 
10,000 men, women and children died. Somehow God spared Sam Moody.
  He was then cast on a ship, a transport. This story is relayed in his 
autobiography from this event entitled Reprieve From Hell, and I 
strongly recommend that to every American, particularly every young 
American. In this transport, hundreds of other Americans were crammed 
into the hull of a ship that was torpedoed by an American submarine. 
Many, many, many died. Somehow Sam survived. God spared Sam Moody.
  Also as a prisoner of war, Sam Moody served under incredible 
conditions when he arrived in Japan, under torturous and malnutrition 
conditions, along with hundreds and hundreds of others. Of 36,000 
American servicemen, less than 10 percent survived, but somehow God 
spared Sam Moody.
  In 1946, after his release and return home, Sam Moody went back to 
Japan to testify for the American government at the International War 
Crimes trial. Sam was probably the only enlisted survivor to testify in 
these trials to help bring justice to those who had killed and tortured 
so many.
  At these trials, Sam Moody met Madeleine, who was working for General 
MacArthur. They married and have two wonderful children, Betty and 
Steve.
  Sergeant Sam Moody leaves behind a wonderful family, to whom I extend 
my very deepest sympathy. Sergeant Sam Moody also leaves behind a 
record of incredible service and devotion to our Nation and a country 
he dearly loved.
  Sam Moody also leaves behind an incredible record of his service and 
survival from World War II and the Bataan Death March, which I 
recommend again to every Member of Congress and every American. It is 
called Reprieve From Hell.

                              {time}  1745

  Sam Moody went to be with his Maker last week. We will miss him.

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