[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 15, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E16]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MILTON CONGER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 15, 2008

  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a true American 
hero, Milton Conger, from Burlington, Colorado. Mr. Conger was born on 
October 1, 1924, in rural Kansas. He was a member of the greatest 
generation and served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946.
  Milton grew up in Kit Carson County, Colorado, and entered the Army 
immediately following graduation from high school. He married Marjorie 
Irene Schmidt on October 1, 1943, while home on leave, right before 
being sent to Europe to serve with the 79th Infantry Division, 314th 
Regiment, L. Company. Milton's company fought primarily in France. On 
October 9, 1944, while digging a foxhole at the edge of the Forest of 
Parroy, a Jeep pulled up and out stepped a 4-star general and asked him 
how things were going. He later determined that he had spoken to 
General Marshall, who had come to France to see the troops. Milton was 
awarded the Purple Heart for a leg wound he received a few days before 
his meeting with the general. It was also in the Forest of Parroy that 
Milton and one of his buddies captured four German soldiers. Mr. Conger 
received the Combat Infantry Badge and the Croix-de-Guerre from the 
French in 1997.
  During their time in France, 862 soldiers of Milton's 314th Regiment 
were killed in action, 4,139 were wounded, and 56 were reported missing 
in action. They also captured 11,822 German soldiers. The trip home 
from Europe was dangerous for Milton, he was sent home on the French 
ship Athos II. On December 21, 1945, they encountered a huge Atlantic 
typhoon and were tossed about the sea for two days. The soldiers were 
forced to stand for hours in the slimy lower passages as ballast. The 
ship was badly battered, and had to stop in the Azores. There they 
waited to be transferred to the aircraft carrier Enterprise for the 
rest of the trip home.
  After the war, Milton returned home to Colorado where he worked as a 
carpenter and building contractor, operating Conger Construction. 
Milton and his wife Marjorie raised three daughters: Linda Kay (Malm), 
Nancy Lee (Brown), and Connie Rae (Ogle). Mr. Conger is a charter 
member of VFW Post 6491 and is also a member of American Legion Post 
60.
  I am proud to honor Milton Conger for his dedicated service to our 
Nation. He is an American hero who left his home to defend our Nation, 
and then returned home to be a valued member of his community, showing 
his children and grandchildren how to live meaningful lives of service. 
Milton truly is the embodiment of all the values that have molded 
America into the great nation it is today. May God bless Milton and his 
family, may God bless our precious veterans, and may God bless America.

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