[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 22, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E383-E384]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LATE WILLIAM W. ``BILL'' GEARY, AMERICAN HERO
______
HON. JOHN JOSEPH MOAKLEY
of massachusetts
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, March 22, 2000
Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to genuine American
hero, William W. ``Bill'' Geary, who died on November 15, 1999. Bill
was a veteran of World War II. He saw action in eight major campaigns
throughout Europe during the war. Bill was a true to friend to many
people as well as a devoted husband to his loving wife ``Bea''.
Even though Bill witnessed atrocities and violence, he was a man of
peace and he refused to accept that he was a hero among men.
Fortunately, Bill's brother Joe Geary, U.S. Navy (Ret.) provided me a
detailed history of Bill's service to his country. I am pleased to have
this history inserted in the Congressional Record for all American's to
see:
William W. Geary, Born February 8, 1921--Died November 15, 1999
William W. ``Bill'' Geary enlisted in the U.S. Army on
October 15, 1941. After extensive training he was assigned to
the 456th Battalion of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
of the 82nd Airborne division.
SICILY--OPERATION HUSKY
On the evening of July 9, 1943, Bill Geary, along with
3,400 other paratroopers, were en-route to Sicily. Somewhere
east of Gela shortly before midnight, Bill Geary jumped and
landed close to a German outpost. Advancing toward the German
position he saw another paratrooper who had landed in the
barbed wire. The Germans poured gasoline on him and set him
on fire. Bill was shooting at the Germans and the trooper on
fire was screaming. There was no way that Bill Geary could
rescue the other trooper.
The next day Bill Geary was wounded by shrapnel. His wound
was treated with sulfa and bandaged and he immediately
returned to his platoon and resumed fighting off German
counterattacks.
By 23 July, after two weeks of heavy fighting, the 82nd
Airborne Division had completed its mission. The Germans had
taken a severe beating from the 82nd Airborne Division.
ITALY--SALERNO--OPERATION AVALANCHE
On September 9, 1943, elements of the Fifth U.S. Army made
an amphibious landing at Salerno Bay. Two German Divisions
moved south to attack and exploited a gap between U.S. and
British forces.
On September 13, an urgent message was sent to the 82nd on
Sicily for immediate help. The next night the 505th Parachute
Infantry Regiment jumped into the beachhead. Bill Geary was
in his second major battle against the Germans. They saved
General Clark's Fifth U.S. Army from defeat. The 82nd then
pushed the Germans north to the Volturno River.
ITALY--ANZIO--OPERATION SHINGLE
An amphibious landing was carried out on January 22, 1944,
at Anzio, north of the German lines. The Germans rushed in
reinforcements and another stalemate developed. In late
February 1944, elements of the 82nd Airborne Division, with
Bill Geary taking part, were transported to the Anzio
beachhead as reinforcements. They were involved in continuous
heavy fighting against the Germans until mid-April 1944, when
they were withdrawn to England.
NORMANDY, FRANCE--OPERATION OVERLOAD
On the evening of June 5, 1944, Bill Geary, loaded down
with arms and ammunition, was boosted up into a C-47, along
with 23 other paratroopers of the 505th Parachute Infantry
Regiment. The initial objective of the 505th was the capture
of the town and roads around Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Bill Geary
jumped out of the C-47 into the black of night. There were
tracer bullets flying up from many directions. He landed and
immediately detached his ``chute'' and joined up with other
troopers.
Some of the 505th paratroopers landed within the town of
Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Most of them were killed while floating
down in their parachutes. Others, that had their ``chute''
hung up in trees, were killed while struggling to get loose.
This was not to be forgotten
Bill Geary, along with others, fought their way in the dark
to the outskirts of the town. They fought their way into the
town and by daylight June 6, 1944, the town was in the hands
of the 505th.
The 82nd then pushed south and west to block off the
Contentin Peninsula. Fighting through the hedge rows of
Normandy for four weeks, against stiff German resistance,
capturing the high ground overlooking the town of Haye-du-
Puits. There it remained in a defensive posture until it was
relieved on July 11, 1944.
The 82nd Airborne Division suffered 47 percent casualties
during 33 days of continuous fierce fighting without relief
or replacements.
HOLLAND--OPERATION MARKET-GARDEN
The British 1st Airborne was to jump and seize the bridge
over the Rhine River at Arnhem, some 64 miles into Holland.
Several other bridges would be seized by the 82nd around the
city of Nijmegen to the south of Arnhem. The 101st Division
was to jump and capture bridges 25 miles north of the Allies
front lines.
Sunday, September 17, 1944, Bill Geary, along with 23 other
paratroopers in his group, was heavily burdened with all the
ammunition and grenades he could possibly carry. The troopers
of the 505th shouted to each other ``Remember Sainte-Mere-
Eglise,'' referring to the murder of 505th troopers by the
Germans.
As the C-47s crossed the coastline of Holland anti-aircraft
fire became intense, 118 of the transports were damaged and
10 were shot down. The C-47 carrying Bill Geary reached its
drop point, the high ground near Groesbeek. The green jump
light came on and the 24 paratroopers exited in quick
succession, as fast as they could. They were receiving small
arms fire from German troops in the woods as they descended.
Unbuckling their chutes and laying prone on the ground, they
returned fire.
Fighting continued through the day and into the night. The
505th was spread thin on their front, a line of about 6-7
miles. By then
[[Page E384]]
end of the day all but one of the bridges had been taken.
The next day 450 C-47s, towing 450 gliders heavily laden
with glider troops and equipment, started landing. The 505th
had been battling the Germans all that day to clear the
landing area of German troops. The landing area was within
one-quarter mile of the border of Germany. On Tuesday,
September 19, the Nijmegen bridge was seized. The 82nd troops
held off numerically superior German troops for the next two
weeks.
Allied forces suffered more casualties (17,000) in Market-
Garden than they did in the invasion of Normandy. The 82nd
Airborne Division's casualties were heavy. More than a
thousand troops were buried in a cow pasture between
Molenhoek and the Maas-Waal Canal.
In mid October the 82nd moved into some old French Army
barracks about 80 miles from Paris. Numerous replacement
paratroopers were received to fill huge voids in the ranks.
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
On December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a massive attack
through the Ardennes against a green U.S. infantry division
with no previous combat. The only U.S. Army reserve divisions
were the 82nd and the 101st Airborne Divisions. General Gavin
soon ordered both the 82nd and the 101st Divisions to move
out to the battle area.
The 82nd, was the first to move out. They passed north
through Bastagone and took up a blocking position west of St.
Vith, spreading out along a 25 mile front. Some hours later
the 101st moved out with orders to hold the vital crossroads
and the town of Bastagone.
The weather was severe, extremely cold and heavy snowfall
had started. The 82nd was scattered over 100 square miles of
terrain. On the 19th of December the 505th paratroopers,
including Bill Geary, were occupying the best defensive
positions along their six mile front. Fierce fighting against
two German Divisions soon began and continued for a week. By
December 27, the first phase of the Battle of the Bulge was
over. The German advance had been stopped.
The First U.S. Army, of which the 82nd was the spearhead,
launched a counter attack on January 3, 1945. In the first
day of fighting the 82nd completely overran the German 62nd
Volksgrenadier Division and the 9th S.S. Panzer Division,
inflicting severe casualties on the enemy, capturing 2,400
prisoners. A German reserve column of trucks and troops
moving up to support the decimated German divisions advanced
straight into the 82nd's lines and was totally destroyed. On
January 8, the 82nd advanced to the Salm River in heavy
fighting. The Battle of the Bulge was over.
THE ARDENNES
On January 28, 1945, the 82nd and 1st Infantry Division
would lead the Allied assault through the Seigfried Line.
Heavy fighting ensued as the 82nd, with Bill Geary, fought
it's way into Germany through the Ardennes Forest. At 4:00
a.m. on February 2, the division mounted an aggressive
attack. It penetrated through two miles of the Seigfried Line
in fierce fighting. The German troops were retreating in the
face of a tremendous onslaught.
Three days later the 82nd was en-route to the Huertgen
Forrest. The paratroopers of the 505th pressed on pushing the
Germans back through the towns of Lammersdorf and Schmidt in
two days of fierce fighting, moving closer to the Roer River
which would be their next objective. Fighting continued all
the way to the Roer River. On February 17, 1945, the 82nd was
pulled out of the front lines.
RHINELAND
In late March, the 82nd fought its way to the Rhine River
on a 20 mile front north and south of the city of Cologne,
Germany. On April 29, 1945, the 82nd moved out of its
positions and north more than 200 miles to a crossing site on
the Elbe River. The 505th reached the site by dark. At 1:00
a.m. on April 30, the 505th made a crossing and caught the
Germans completely by surprise. Bill Geary was now across the
Elbe River and once again fighting Germans. The 505th
advanced all day on May 1, as the Germans retreated.
When news of the 82nd's crossing reached General Omar
Bradley's 12th Army Group headquarters, there was much
delight and laughter. British General Montgomery had been
complaining that the German opposition was far too great for
him to cross the Elbe River.
On May 2-3 1945, the advance of the 82nd continued and a
complete German Army Group of 250,000 men, with all their
weapons of war, surrendered to the 82nd Airborne Division.
THE WAR IN EUROPE HAD COME TO AN END
For the 82nd Airborne Division the war in Europe had been
costly. More than 60,000 men had passed through the ranks of
the division. They left thousands of white crosses on foreign
soil.
On November 15, 1999, Bill Geary lost a two year battle. It
was a battle against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS),
commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
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