[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 116 (Tuesday, September 26, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE SURVIVORS OF STALAG III-C

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GEORGE W. GEKAS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 26, 2000

  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the survivors of Stalag 
III-C in Germany during World War II. These brave men endured hardship 
that few of us can imagine today. These men were starved nearly to 
death and subjected to bitterly cold winters in unheated huts. Many men 
languished there for years before being liberated by a Russian tank 
convoy. However, their ordeal was not over yet.
  Stalag III-C was located near the Polish border in the eastern part 
of Germany. It was January of 1945 when the men were set free. With a 
war still raging around them, the men set forth to make it to Allied 
lines. The men traveled on foot through the snow and frigid winds with 
little food and clothing not suitable for the trek. It took a month and 
a half for a majority of the men to reach Odessa, Russia. These hardy 
men walked a distance of approximately 700 miles. Though their struggle 
had been long, they had reached freedom.
  On the weekend of October 13, a group of survivors from Stalag III-C 
will gather in Hershey, PA, for a time of remembrance. Jackie Kruper of 
Lebanon, PA, has organized this event inspired by the journal of her 
father, Sergeant John E. Kruper, who was interned at the prison camp. 
Mr. Kruper passed away in 1992.
  Let us remember these valiant soldiers in our prayers. Their service 
to the United States and to democracy around the world shall never be 
forgotten. I pray that the stories of bravery and survival of these men 
transcend this one weekend. It is my wish that these stories get passed 
down through generations, for their sacrifice has truly made this 
country the land of the free and the brave.
  The names of the gentlemen attending the reunion are Kenneth 
Bargmann, William A. Bonsall, Robert Bell Bradley, William E. Clark, 
Arley Goodengauf, Maurice J. Markworth, Acie D. Milner, Frank 
Rosenthal, Kenneth Schaeffer, Christopher Schweitzer, Bernard Sterno, 
Raymond Ulrich, and Mae Hande, who will be attending in place of her 
departed husband Norman Hande. I know that the United States House of 
Representatives joins me in saluting these fine men who served their 
country with honor.

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