[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 15, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H1072-H1074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JAMES L. CADIGAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Tancredo). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 6, 1999, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
Delahunt) is recognized for 60 minutes.
  Mr. DELAHUNT. Mr. Speaker, throughout American history, our men and 
women in uniform have constantly risen to the challenge of our national 
defense, putting life and limb at risk for our security. This Nation, 
and the liberty for which it stands throughout the world, owes our 
veterans a deep and ongoing debt of gratitude.
  Some would say that this debt is repaid in Memorial Day observances. 
But we all know what veterans, from the Revolution to the Kosovo 
campaign, appreciate most is respect. Respect for their commitment. 
Their sacrifice. Their medical needs. Respect for what they went 
through, so that we would not have to suffer. Respect for the families 
of friends who never made it home.
  Tonight I take the floor of the United States House of 
Representatives to share with you the story of one soldier who has 
never received the respect I believe he is owed. His picture is to my 
right in his uniform holding a child. His name is Jim Cadigan, from the 
community of Hingham in the district in Massachusetts which I 
represent.
  Once in a great while an individual serves this country with special 
distinction. When ordinary people demonstrate such extraordinary valor, 
official recognition not only honors the heroism, but also uplifts the 
entire Nation, whose freedom is safeguarded by such courage. 
Unfortunately, official recognition of this soldier's bravery has been 
less than forthcoming.
  On a German battlefield in 1945, Lieutenant James Cadigan acted 
instinctively and against almost inconceivable odds to protect his 
platoon and apprehend dozens of armed enemy troops. For his 
selflessness, he earned the lifelong admiration of his comrades. But 
the Army that Jim served with such fierce loyalty has dismissed 
repeated recommendations, to express the degree of respect his bravery 
deserved.
  Over the 3 years I have been privileged to serve in this chamber, I 
have labored to ensure a fair shake for Mr. Cadigan's candidacy to 
receive a Congressional Medal of Honor. Regrettably, Jim had more 
success on that German battlefield than in the corridors of the 
Pentagon. Thus, to honor the 55th anniversary of his heroism, I rise 
tonight as one grateful Member of Congress to salute Lieutenant Cadigan 
publicly for all he did for us.
  To do so, I need only describe his remarkable acts of heroism. As you 
will see, the facts more than speak for themselves.
  On February 26, 1945, Second Lieutenant James Cadigan, a Member of 
Company C, the 20th Armored Infantry Battalion, 10th Armored Division, 
led a platoon advancing on the German town of Zerf. Upon hearing that a 
second platoon had been ambushed and was pinned down by enemy fire, 
Lieutenant Cadigan, without concern for his own safety, charged 
fortified enemy positions perched on high ground and single-handedly 
wiped out two German machine gun nests.
  Dozens of witnesses have testified that Lieutenant Cadigan killed or 
wounded 50 Germans, then took another 85 prisoner. The trapped U.S. 
platoon was able to escape and reorganize, saving scores of American 
lives. Most of these men made it back to the United States after the 
war. Without Jim Cadigan's heroism, it is likely that none of those 
men, or their children, grandchildren or great grandchildren, would be 
alive today.
  One of Jim's comrades, Thomas Tomae of Irvington, New Jersey, 
reported, ``Like the other men, I know that we never would have gotten 
out of there alive if Lieutenant Cadigan hadn't knocked out the 2 Nazi 
machine guns that were closing in on us.''
  From another comrade, John Milanak of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: ``All 
of us were sure we would be killed that day. It was just like a 
miracle. I thanked God many times, but never more than that day. I say 
thank God for Lieutenant Cadigan. He saved so many lives.''
  When the smoke of the battle of Zerf cleared, Lieutenant Cadigan's 
commanding officer, Captain Melvin Mason, immediately began 
preparations to recommend him for the Congressional Medal of Honor. 
Before Captain Mason could submit the referral, however, he was 
seriously wounded in action himself and spent over a year convalescing 
in the hospital. Jim Cadigan's battalion commander was killed in action 
shortly thereafter.

[[Page H1073]]

  With both of Lieutenant Cadigan's superiors out of action, and in the 
swirl of post-war homecomings, the Medal of Honor recommendation was 
not filed in a timely fashion under the statutory requirements then in 
effect. In fact, it was not until 1950 that Captain Mason inquired 
whether the commendation had been awarded.
  When told that Jim Cadigan had not been recognized for his heroism, 
Mason and other comrades-in-arms began the arduous task of assembling 
eyewitness affidavits and other documentation from around the United 
States establishing his claim to the Medal of Honor.
  This resolve resulted in Jim's being awarded the Silver Star in 1977, 
pending resolution of Captain Mason's Medal of Honor recommendation. 
The Silver Star is indeed a great honor, but not what those who know of 
Jim's deeds feel his heroism earned.
  Why did Captain Mason devote himself to this task? Just listen to his 
account of that day in Zerf some 55 years ago. Again, I am quoting.

       Through these acts of bravery, two platoons were saved from 
     being wiped out. His actions made it possible for us to get 
     our wounded evacuated, reorganize and continue our attack. 
     His inspiring leadership and amazing acts of courage revived 
     the spirit and energy of all of the men and contributed most 
     significantly to the capture of Zerf.
       These acts were most extraordinary, since Lieutenant 
     Cadigan repeatedly exposed himself to deadly enemy fire, and 
     again and again risked his life to save the rest of his 
     comrades from what seemed to be certain death and defeat by 
     the enemy. It would not normally be expected that any one man 
     should carry a machine gun by himself through deadly enemy 
     fire and single-handedly knock out two enemy machine guns.

  Lieutenant Cadigan's quick reactions had changed his comrades' lives, 
but they carried far less weight within the Pentagon. Having awarded 
him the Silver Star, the Army washed its hands of his case. Why? 
Because the Medal of Honor paperwork had not been turned in on time. 
There was no chance for a review of the merits of his case because, as 
far as the Army was concerned, proper procedure had not been followed.
  Imagine how many American lives would have been lost on that day in 
1945 if Jim Cadigan had followed ``proper procedure.''
  As word spread about the way the Army was treating Jim, veterans from 
across the country proceeded to rally to his cause. At his division's 
annual Labor Day reunion, the question is always the same: Has Jim 
received his Medal of Honor yet?
  Many of you here this the chamber have heard from his supporters, his 
admirers. Some of you have joined with my predecessors and with me in 
introducing and cosponsoring specific legislation on his behalf. But 
the Army successfully argued against each of these bills, ostensibly 
because of the missed paperwork deadline.
  As you know, Congress went to the lengths of amending Federal 
statutes governing cases like Jim's. Section 526 of the 1996 Defense 
Authorization Act explicitly provided for Pentagon review on the merits 
of potential Medal of Honor awards upon the personal petition of a 
Member of Congress.

  Where I am from, Jim's story is well known. To say ``Jim Cadigan'' is 
the same as saying ``hero.'' It has also become legendary how the 
military has treated him.
  When I was sworn in as his Congressman in 1997, Jim Cadigan became 
one of my top personal priorities. I studied how the Army had handled 
my predecessor, Congressman Gary Studds', Section 526 review, and found 
an inexcusably inaccurate interpretation of its obligations under the 
statute.
  In calling for reexamination of the evidence, I wrote to then 
Secretary Togo West that the Pentagon was required to ``review the case 
afresh, not merely post-date an old rejection letter.'' It seemed to me 
that this was the time for proper procedure. Accordingly, I resubmitted 
a personal request for reconsideration of his case on its merits in 
accordance with Section 526 and backed it up with new legislation.
  At the risk of raising Jim's blood pressure, let me recount what the 
review which followed by the Senior Army Deliberations Board was, what 
happened.

                              {time}  1930

  Well, the offices conducting this review never interviewed lieutenant 
Cadigan or any of the surviving eye-witnesses. They never requested a 
single document. They made a habit of ignoring inquiries from Members 
of Congress, and they took nearly 2 years, literally, to complete the 
review.
  The result consisted in its entirety of a handwritten checkmark in a 
preprinted box which indicated that the petitioner did not meet the 
standard for the award of the medal of honor: as an expression of basic 
human compassion, I implored Army officials to speak directly to Mr. 
Cadigan or at least to review the results of this torturous process. 
Even a simple expression of common courtesy took on cosmic proportions 
within the Pentagon.
  By the second year, when it became rather clear how this review of 
the merits would end, I requested in advance a copy of the complete 
record on which any final decision was based. The package I ultimately 
received fit in a very small envelope.
  Notwithstanding the affidavits about the Battle of Zerf, it appeared 
that Army officials either did not read the materials or concluded that 
Jim and so many others were not to be believed.
  Since a checkmark does not really answer these questions, I again 
sought a clarification of the rationale for the Pentagon's decision. I 
was told that the Army saw Jimmy's heroic acts as nothing more than 
what ``we expect a platoon leader in combat to take'' and that ``the 
evidence presented did not meet the standard for an award of the Medal 
of Honor.''
  That sounded to me like a lot less like a rationale than like a 
rationalization.
  It came as no surprise that I disagreed with the Army's decision, but 
I was most deeply disappointed that the decorations board record 
contained no analysis, no discussion, and no justification for the 
decision. It was, thus, impossible to determine how this decision was 
reached.
  I understood from the beginning that this was an uphill battle. This 
is one brave soldier for whom adversity has never been an obstacle. 
While he expects no charity, however, he also abides no disrespect. Nor 
do the many comrades who have stood shoulder to shoulder with Jim 
Cadigan through the years, like Len Morris, an Army infantryman who 
landed on Omaha Beach and whose unit was fighting on February 26, 1945 
in Luxembourg, only 10 miles from the Battle of Zerf. And John Donlon, 
another son of Quincy in the D-Day invasion who wrote me, and again I 
am quoting:

       Lieutenant Cadigan's gallant leadership for his men is an 
     act of valor and the nobility of spirit and should be boldly 
     and eloquently commemorated. We must glorify the values and 
     ideals of a great Nation whose people came together in one of 
     its finest hours and who offered up their lives to defeat the 
     ruthless aggression of the forces of tyranny.

  Mr. Speaker, over the past 55 years, international alliances have 
come and gone; the Cold War has boiled over and cooled down. Americans 
in uniform have served their country in many strange and far-away 
places. American society itself has been dramatically transformed and 
retransformed.
  Throughout the tumult and turmoil of the last 55 years, certain 
universal values, however, have remained strong: commitment, courage, 
sacrifice, loyalty. But these are nothing more than lofty words 
chiseled in some granite memorial until they are brought to life by 
inspired acts like those of Lieutenant Jim Cadigan.
  Jim Cadigan personified those values on that German battlefield 55 
years ago; and he still does today, stirring the hearts of nearly all 
who hear his story.
  None of this is lost on the members of Jimmy's family whose hearts 
ache every time they review this ordeal. Recently, his daughter, Mary, 
said to me, and again I am quoting, ``It is shameful that a great 
soldier and leader is ignored all those years.'' Well, I agree with 
Mary. So if the United States Army cannot see fit to adequately honor a 
true American hero like James Cadigan, then I will do so as a Member of 
Congress.
  Jim, we recall all those you saved 55 years ago as well as those who 
never made it home; and we thank you for the sacrifices you and your 
generation made so that we can enjoy the freedom we take for granted 
today. Jim, we thank you for saving so many American lives on that 
battlefield in 1945, enabling those young men to return to

[[Page H1074]]

our soil and raise their own families, and for risking your life and 
your family's future for our sake.
  Jim, thank you for proving that such qualities as commitment, 
courage, sacrifice, and loyalty still count for so much. And Jim, 
although the Army has denied you the Medal of Honor you deserve, in my 
eyes and in the eyes of those who really know what happens on the 
battlefield, you have already earned your Nation's highest honor and 
gratitude. You do not need a piece of medal pinned to your chest to 
prove that.
  Jim Cadigan, in the name of the American people and the men whose 
lives you saved, I salute you as a true American hero.

                          ____________________