[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 60 (Friday, May 4, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E739-E740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE MEN OF THE U.S.S. ``BOISE''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 3, 2001

  Mr. DELAHUNT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the brave 
men of the cruiser U.S.S. Boise, who played such an important role in 
helping secure freedom from oppression during the second World War. 
They will be gathering once again for their annual reunion in Oklahoma 
City, Oklahoma on May 3, 4, and 5 of 2001. It has been 56 years since 
the guns fell silent across the vast stretches of the Pacific and 
European theaters of combat. The passing of time has thinned their 
ranks, but the memories of their deeds in fighting for the liberty we 
enjoy today will never fade.
  Representative of the sacrifices of this Greatest Generation, is the 
late Robert Brooks of Weymouth, Massachusetts, whose wife, Eleanor, 
will attend this year's reunion. Robert was only 18 years old when he 
enlisted in the United States Navy in 1941. During the next four years, 
Bob and his shipmates would witness some of the most famous and 
horrific battles in history. The Boise was at Guadalcanal in 1942 and 
participated in the Battle of Cape Esperance, where she suffered damage 
from Japanese shells. She provided cover to Allied troops during the 
invasions of Sicily and the Italian mainland in 1943. The year 1944 
found the Boise operating along the coast of New Guinea, and in October 
of 1944 she took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait, which was a part 
of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf, among the greatest naval battles in 
history. The ship also had the honor of hosting General Douglas 
MacArthur for a tour of the Philippines and Borneo during June of 1945 
before returning stateside in July of 1945.
  After the war, Robert Brooks, like most of his shipmates, returned to 
the States where he lived, worked, and provided for his family on the 
South Shore of Boston. When our country needed them, they answered the 
call. They did their duty, literally saved the world, and returned home 
to raise their own families during one of America's greatest eras of 
prosperity. Their legacy is the peace, security and

[[Page E740]]

opportunity of today's America. It is a gift so precious we can never 
repay them except by promising each other to never forget. God bless 
the men of the U.S.S. Boise, their families, and the United States of 
America.

                          ____________________