[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 2, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1014-E1015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             FALLEN HEROES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 2, 2004

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the brave 
men and women who have served our nation by paying the ultimate 
sacrifice in defense of freedom and democracy.
  While we should honor all our nation's veterans both living and dead 
throughout the year, on this particular Memorial Day, we pay tribute to 
the nation's World War II veterans. On May 29th, the World War II 
memorial, a fitting tribute to ``the Greatest Generation,'' will be 
dedicated on the National Mall. Hundreds of thousands of World War II 
veterans and their families will visit the memorial which is a 
permanent reminder to us and to future generations that the sacrifices 
made by the soldiers who served overseas, their families, and the 
Americans who were on the homefront, saved the world from tyranny. From 
the beaches of Normandy to the Battle of Midway to the construction of 
the China-Burma-India Road, these soldiers fought for a cause bigger 
than themselves.
  One of these heroes, Michel Thomas, resides in my congressional 
district and recently was awarded the Silver Star for his extraordinary 
courage during World War II. I, along with Senator John McCain (R-AZ), 
worked with the Department of Defense on Mr. Thomas's behalf so that he 
finally would receive the honor he so justly deserves.
  Michel Thomas was born in Poland to a Jewish family with a thriving 
textile business. In 1933, he fled Hitler's regime in Germany for 
France. Thomas last saw his family in 1937. He later learned they were 
all murdered at Auschwitz.
  During the war, he survived two years of concentration and slave 
labor camps in Vichy France and narrowly escaped deportation to 
Auschwitz. He joined the Secret Army of the French Resistance, where he 
was active for two years as a commando leader. In 1943, Thomas was 
caught by and escaped from Klaus Barbie, the notorious Butcher of Lyon. 
The next year Thomas served in Combat Intelligence in the 180th 
Regiment of the U.S. Army 45th Division, The Thunderbirds, and was 
nominated for the Silver Star for his bravery.
  On April 29, 1945, Thomas, an agent in the U.S. Army's Counter 
Intelligence Corps (CIC), arrived at Dachau concentration camp on the 
day of liberation. Thomas interrogated and photographed the crematorium 
workers. Two days later Thomas captured the ``Hangman of Dachau,'' Emil 
Mahl, who was subsequently convicted of war crimes.
  In early May 1945, Thomas tracked a convoy of trucks to a paper mill 
outside Munich, where he rescued from destruction the Nazi Party's 
worldwide membership card file of over ten million members. The Nazi 
leadership had shipped the cards, along with tons of other important 
Third Reich government documents, to be pulped in the final days of the 
war. These documents became the heart of the collections of the U.S.-
run Berlin Document Center, and were crucial in the Nuremberg war 
crimes trials and in the denazification of Germany.
  In 1946, Thomas helped to capture Gustav Knittel, who was convicted 
of war crimes for

[[Page E1015]]

his role in the Malmedy massacre of American POWs at the Battle of the 
Bulge. I am proud to honor Michel Thomas for his heroism.
  On Memorial Day, it is fitting that we honor all the men and women of 
the Armed Forces who have served their nation throughout history 
including those who are currently risking their lives around the world, 
including in Afghanistan and Iraq. I have been to both countries twice 
and have visited with soldiers from New York and across the country. I 
especially want to note the contributions of the 10th Mountain Division 
from Fort Drum under General Austin's leadership, and the 1st 
Battalion, 69th Infantry Division of the New York Army National Guard, 
located in my district, who just shipped out to Iraq on Monday. While 
they are serving in Iraq, I will be fighting to pass legislation to 
ensure that they receive full military retirement credit for their days 
of service at Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
  I am pleased to note that today we are passing legislation to correct 
a longstanding inequity in survivor benefits for the spouses of our 
fallen veterans. The ``National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2005'' provides for a 5-year phase-in to eliminate the Widow's 
Tax. This unfair tax penalizes the widows and widowers of military 
retirees by reducing their Survivor Benefit Plan benefit from 55 
percent of the retiree's pension to 35 percent once they reach age 62, 
normally the same age she or he is eligible for Social Security. The 
Social Security benefit the surviving spouse receives is often less 
than the reduction in the benefit, which results in a net loss of 
income. This legislation brings long overdue relief to the surviving 
spouses.
  I will continue to support the members of Armed Forces in every way 
that I can. We owe all of them a debt of gratitude which we can never 
repay. They helped to make this country what it is today, and they have 
brought peace to other nations across the globe.
  I would like to thank my colleagues from New York Representatives 
Rangel and Walsh for organizing today's moment of silence for America's 
fallen soldiers.

                          ____________________