[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 137 (Monday, December 6, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2163-E2164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE

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                           HON. VITO FOSSELLA

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 6, 2004

  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, sixty years ago this week, one of the 
greatest battles of

[[Page E2164]]

World War II took place. While D-Day had put the Nazis on the ropes, 
the war wasn't over yet; as General George S. Patton reportedly said at 
the time, the Germans could no longer win the war, but the Allies could 
still lose it.
  Lengthening supply lines had endangered the Allied drive to Berlin 
and reduced the effectiveness of American and British forces. 
Logistical miscalculations were a serious problem as well.
  Then the weather turned bitterly cold; heavy snow and sleet took its 
toll on soldiers who had gone days without sleep. It became even more 
difficult to hold strained supply lines together. Fuel and ammunition 
shipments were not getting where they needed to go. Only the tenacity, 
courage and ingenuity of the men in uniform kept the good guys moving.
  D-Day was a victory, but it wasn't the final victory, as we would 
soon discover.
  The Battle of the Bulge was crucial. Just five months after D-Day, 
the Allies had yet to seal the fate of the Nazi regime. The Wehrmacht 
would come back with an offensive that seemed as if it might be 
unstoppable. The very ``bulge'' of the battle's name refers not to some 
physical place, but to the alarming way our military maps showed the 
major battle line had ``bulged'' back towards the Allies.
  Ultimately it proved to be the Nazis' last gasp, but we couldn't know 
that at the time. Had the German offensive not been crushed, their 
improved morale could have caused other reverses and sent the war into 
a stalemate, prolonging it and leading to thousands more being killed.
  The fighting men of America and the other Allied nations had to 
summon a fierce will to beat back this charge, and did so heroically. 
It was one of those occasions that showed how right America was to 
trust in these men to keep our families safe. Our debt to them is 
enormous.
  These men deserve the highest respect. The Battle of the Bulge was 
one of the most important moments of the second World War, and winning 
it was critical to winning the war.
  Below are 82 veterans and family members of that battle from my home 
district, Staten Island and Brooklyn, in New York. It is important that 
we honor their sacrifice while they still walk among us:
  William Abell, B. Roger Acker, Albert Agnotti, Elmer Van Arrindell, 
Salvatore Baratta, Peter P. Benedetto, Anthony Bianco, Dennis Bracket, 
Maryann Briney, Carmine Burzumato, Gertrude Calvacca, James Campbell, 
John Capano, Paul Capofari, Barbara Carreras, Raymond Cebula, Rubin 
Cohen, Edward Connors, Dominic Corcillo, Anthony Cuollo, Edward Curran, 
Vito Dellagarzie, Anthony DeMaio, Vincent DeSetto, Eugene Devlin, 
Anthony DiRosa, Henry Dudziec, Frank D'Alleso, Henry J. D'Andrea, 
Joseph Emmanuele, Angela Fazio, Roy Ferlazzo, Stephen Fiala, Peter 
Fiorella, Michael Fortier, William Franz, Aldo Furetti, Eugene 
Gagliardi, George Geissler, Clarence Genau, Finn Gjertsen, Jonas 
Goldenberg, Stanley Grapes, Robert E. Holmes, John Hynes, Frank 
Juliano, Rudolph Korman, Robert Landvogt, Alfred Lotz, William 
Macaluso, Joseph Magliocco, Val Manetta, Anthony Moody, William Morris, 
John Nee, Charles Nolan, Lenord Parente, Edwin Petrazzolo, Thomas 
Poidomani, Joseph Reilly, William Reilly, Seymour Richman, Rev. Br. 
Marion Santor, George Sheppard, Dr. A. B. Siewers, David Silver, 
Charles Snyder, Eugene Sobiesiak, Eugene Sorensen, John Spiritus, 
Joseph Sportiello, Joseph Sterbenz, Ralph Taliento, Herbert Thompson, 
Dennis Tobin, Horace Turner, Anthony Vaccaro, Ira Wells, Susan Witman, 
Peter T. Zacked, Dominick Zero, M. Riccio.

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