Congressional Record, Volume 153 Issue 161 (Tuesday, October 23, 2007)

[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 161 (Tuesday, October 23, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H11878-H11879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

{time} 1315
MILO C. HUEMPFNER DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINIC

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2408) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs
outpatient clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the ``Milo C. Huempfner
Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 2408

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT
CLINIC, GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN.

The Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in
Green Bay, Wisconsin, shall after the date of the enactment
of this Act be known and designated as the ``Milo C.
Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''.
Any reference to such medical center in any law, regulation,
map, document, record, or other paper of the United States
shall be considered to be a reference to the Milo C.
Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my distinguished colleague from
Wisconsin (Mr. Kagen) to speak about the bill which he has authored to
name the outpatient clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin, after this great
hero.
Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to speak in
support of H.R. 2408, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs
community-based outpatient clinic in Green Bay for Milo C. Huempfner,
Brown County, Wisconsin's most highly decorated veteran of World War
II, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the
Medal of Honor, the Bronze Star, and numerous other commendations.
Having cared for thousands of veterans as their physician, and now as
their elected Representative, I would also like to thank the members of
the leadership and the members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee who
worked hard to bring this legislation to the floor today, especially
Chairman Filner. Thank you. And thank you as well to Ambassador Mark
Green for beginning this good work.
We need to remember Milo C. Huempfner. He was a hero. His bravery,
his dedication to others and his selflessness to serve is a beacon to
guide all of us today.
Milo served in one of the best trained units in the U.S. Army, the
elite 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion. It was a unit where courage
was common. Yet even in this company, Milo distinguished himself.
Milo Huempfner was literally a one-man army. For 2 days in December
of 1944, Milo Huempfner was literally a one-man army. He singlehandedly
waged war against a German tank column in Belgium during the Battle of
the Bulge.
In that chaotic battle, Milo and a colleague were separated from
their convoy with a truckload of ammunition. They were near the Belgian
town of Leignon when their truck slid off the road into a ditch. Milo
was left behind to guard the truck until a tow truck could return. He
had instructions to destroy it if the Germans arrived. He turned down
opportunities to leave. When he heard an armed column of Panzer tanks
approaching, he burned the truck and retreated into the local city.
Over the course of the next 2 days and 2 nights, Milo waged a one-man
battle, a one-man guerrilla war against the town's Nazi occupiers. He
destroyed tanks; he destroyed trucks. He stormed the machine gun
positions and engaged in hand-to-hand fighting with enemy troops.
When he was not protecting townspeople of Leignon, Milo would sneak
out of town to warn approaching troops, allied troops, that the enemy
was nearby. He saved many American soldiers' lives.
One evening, a freezing evening, the townspeople came to him and
asked if he would go to church and protect them. The people wanted to
go to church and he could not understand why. Well, it happened to be
Christmas Eve, they reminded him. And he stood outside armed only with
a pistol to protect them on Christmas Eve. As the people of Leignon
celebrated, he stood guard as he stands guard now. On Christmas
morning, Milo received his present when allied forces began their
counterattack and surrounded the town. Milo didn't stop. He sprang into
action against a German artillery hidden in a barn, and 18 Nazis
surrendered to him. When Milo finally met the allied troops, they
almost mistook him for a German spy. They couldn't believe that a
single soldier could hold them off from this town and couldn't
understand how a single American soldier could bring so many enemy
troops into being captives.
For these deeds, Private Huempfner was awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross. The after-action report on Private Huempfner's deeds
ends with these words, and I quote: ``His gallantry, intrepidity and
extraordinary heroism while operating within the very limits of the
German units, without being ordered to do so, and when withdrawal could
have been accomplished with honor and safety, reflect the highest
standards and ideal of the military service and favorably demonstrated
to the citizens of Leignon the courage and daring of the American
soldier.''
After the war, Milo Huempfner preferred not to talk about his
experiences. This was common for many soldiers in World War II. His own
children did not know any of what I just spoke about until his funeral,
when Milo's comrades stepped forward to speak of their cherished
comrade.
Despite his silence, Milo remained a committed patriot and dedicated
to the men he served. Over the years between the war and his passing in
1985, Milo attended the funerals of over 900 veterans in Brown County,
Wisconsin. He used his dress uniform so frequently that he wore it out.
As a mark of respect and thanks, local veterans organizations paid to
have it restored.
By naming this temporary community outpatient clinic building in
Green Bay after Milo Huempfner, we are paying respect to one of
Wisconsin's great heroes.

[[Page H11879]]

I would like to thank Milo Huempfner's children, Jackie, Wayne, Geri
and Milo, for their help and also his friend, Bernard Depry of Green
Bay, who brought this request to my attention and worked tirelessly
over the years to make this a reality.
I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 2408. We are recognizing
the deeds of a brave and noble man.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2408, a bill to designate the VA
outpatient clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin as the Milo Huempfner
Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic would honor an
individual whose demeanor during combat in World War II exemplifies the
concept of the army of one.
In 1944, Private First Class Huempfner was stranded in the small
Belgian village of Leignon after his truck was separated from its
convoy and slid off the road. While in hiding in Leignon, Private First
Class Huempfner found that the village had been overrun by German
troops. He proceeded, over the next 4 days and nights, to
singlehandedly wage war against an entire German armored column
consisting of tanks, numerous heavy gun emplacements, and hundreds of
soldiers. During this period of time, Private First Class Huempfner
warned off numerous American and British troops from Leignon, who
otherwise would have been slaughtered by the Germans occupying the
town. He repeatedly refused to be evacuated on these occasions, staying
to destroy additional German equipment, killing German soldiers in
direct combat, and protecting the citizens of the occupied town.
Mr. Speaker, on Christmas Eve, British forces dislodged German forces
using information collected by Private First Class Huempfner. After
over 72 hours on his feet, under constant threat and harassment from
enemy forces, Private First Class Huempfner retired to a household he
had earlier defended.
For all of these accomplishments he was awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross in 1973. After the war, Private First Class Huempfner
attended the funerals of as many veteran comrades as possible. Reports
indicate that he participated in the burial of some 900 fellow comrades
in arms over the years since World War II, attending in full dress
uniform, honoring their service and repeatedly demonstrating his love
for our Nation by showing the brave veterans of Brown County the
dignity and respect that they had earned. He continued attending these
funerals until a week before his death in October 1985.
Mr. Speaker, I support honoring this brave American veteran by naming
this facility the Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs
Outpatient Clinic. It is a fine tribute to a true patriot and true
hero.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

General Leave

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I again ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2408.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. FILNER. I want to thank Mr. Kagen for bringing this story and
history of a brave American and a great hero for Wisconsin. I wish your
guys from Green Bay, whether they be quarterbacks or heroes, would have
names we could pronounce. But we thank you for telling us the story of
Milo Huempfner, and we look forward to the naming of the facility in
Green Bay after him.
Mr. Speaker, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) was established in
1918 by President Woodrow Wilson. It is the second highest military
decoration of the United States Army and surpassed only by the Medal of
Honor in order of precedence.
The DSC is awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life and this
extraordinary heroism must take place while the individual is engaged
in an action against an enemy of the United States. The act of heroism
must be so notable and involve risk of life so extraordinary as to set
the individual apart from his comrades.
It is an honor for me to stand before you today to talk about one
such individual--Milo C. Huempfner.
Mr. Huempfner was the most decorated serviceman in Brown County
during World War II. In 1944, PFC Huempfner committed acts of
extraordinary bravery and heroism during the final European campaign of
World War II.
On December 20, 1944, in Belgium, PFC Huempfner was driving a truck
loaded with ammunition that went off the road. Sending his only comrade
back to seek help and safety, Huempfner proceeded over the next 4 days
and nights to wage war, single-handedly, against an entire German
armored column.
During this time, he warned off numerous American and British troops
from the area who otherwise would have been slaughtered by the Germans
occupying the area.
After his military service he remained heavily involved in veterans
activities.
H.R. 2408 would name the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient
Clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the ``Milo C. Huempfner Department
of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''.
Given his unselfish service to his country, it is only fitting that
we name a Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in his honor.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague of Wisconsin, Steve Kagen, for
introducing this bill and I urge the support of my colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 2408.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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