[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 172 (Wednesday, November 7, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14057-S14058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)

                         FRENCH LEGION OF HONOR

 Mrs. CLINTON. Madam President, I am honored to recognize Mr. 
Bernard Rader of Freeport, NY, for his selection as one of just seven 
Americans--along with my colleague, Senator Inouye--to receive the 
French Legion of Honor from President Nicolas Sarkozy on his first 
official visit to Washington. Bernie, who is also a recipient of the 
Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, is deservedly being recognized for 
the heroism and courage he displayed in the service of our Nation as a 
soldier in the 301st Regiment of the 94th Infantry Division during 
World War II.
  The Legion of Honor was established by Napoleon in 1802 to honor both 
military and civilians who have made significant contributions to 
French life. With this recognition, Bernie Rader joins Legionnaires 
including Dwight Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, Neil Armstrong, and 
Queen Elizabeth II.
  Bernie Rader was born in the Bronx on December 12, 1923. In 1943, 
Bernie heeded his country's call to service and joined the Army as a 
rifleman assigned to the 94th Infantry Division. On September 8, 1944, 
just over 3 months after D-day, Bernie's regiment landed on Utah Beach 
in Normandy, France. The 94th ID subsequently moved into Brittany, 
where it was responsible for containing and taking on remaining pockets 
of German resistance in the English Channel ports of Lorient and Saint 
Nazaire. During the Siege of Lorient, in October 1944, Bernie's platoon 
was ambushed, and he was wounded and taken captive as a prisoner of 
war. Thinking quickly, Bernie asked one of his comrades to bury his dog 
tags to keep the Nazis from discovering his Jewish faith. Bernie was 
held for 6 weeks as a POW before being released during an unprecedented 
prisoner exchange organized by Andrew Gerow Hodges of the Red Cross.
  Bernie's 94th Infantry Division went on to help liberate several 
small French towns. They also trained and armed 29 French infantry 
battalions to aid them in the war against Germany. In early 1945, the 
94th ID launched an attack across the Saar River, which separated 
France and Germany. By March of 1945 the division controlled a 10-mile 
front, where it repelled German attacks. On March 13, 1945, they drove 
to the Rhine River, eventually taking

[[Page S14058]]

the industrial city of Ludwigshafen on March 24. By the beginning of 
April, they had taken responsibility for containing the west side of 
the Ruhr pocket along the Rhine River. The 94th ID occupied the Ruhr 
until V-E Day.
  Bernie Rader was discharged from the Army in January 1946. After the 
war, Bernie became a certified public accountant in his home State of 
New York. He worked on the New York State Society of Certified Public 
Accountants, NYSSCPA, and served as president of the Nassau County 
Chapter in 1986 and 1987. He won the Distinguished Service Award from 
the NYSSCPA in 1992.
  In 2004, Bernie presented the citizens of L'Ile de Groix, France, 
with a plaque to show his gratitude for the aid they provided to his 
fellow soldiers who had been taken prisoner outside of Lorient and held 
on the island of Groix under very harsh conditions. He is now working 
to establish a sister city program between L'Ile de Groix and his town 
of Freeport on Long Island.
  On behalf of my constituents in New York, Mr. President, and indeed 
on behalf of all Americans, I wish to congratulate Bernie Rader for his 
selection for the French Legion of Honor. This honor rightly recognizes 
Bernie's heroism and steadfastness at a critical time in the history of 
our Nation. I invite my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join 
me today in recognizing and honoring Bernie Rader and his fellow 
Legionnaires for their noble service and their commitment to the 
defense of democracy and freedom.

                          ____________________