[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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