[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COLONEL LEONARD SCHROEDER HONORED AS FIRST AMERICAN INVADER ON D-DAY

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                         HON. C. W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 2008

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Retired 
Colonel Leonard Schroeder of Largo, Florida who I am proud to 
represent, for being the first American soldier to land at Utah Beach.
  During the Invasion of Normandy, Colonel Schroeder led F Company onto 
Utah Beach as part of the first wave of American infantry at the battle 
that would turn the war. Commander Schroeder bravely battled for eight 
hours before being shot and forced to leave the fight.
  As part of the first landing, F Company took heavy casualties with 
half of the members killed or injured before Colonel Schroeder was hit 
himself.
  Colonel Schroeder continued to serve our great nation through World 
War II earning both a Silver and Bronze Star. He went on to fight in 
the Korean War and provide logistical support during the Vietnam 
conflict. Colonel Schroeder retired from the Army in 1971.
  Madam Speaker, Colonel Schroeder represents the best our Nation has 
to offer. He served our Nation in uniform and to protect our freedom 
and liberty in its darkest days. Please join me in saying thank you to 
him for his actions and his lifetime of service.

             [From the St. Petersburg Times, June 6, 2008]

                          (By Demorris A. Lee)

       Leonard Schroeder will never forget watching the sun rise 
     off the coast of France the morning of June 6, 1944.
       Schroeder, who was 25 and an Army company commander, spent 
     the night before the D-day invasion with the 219 soldiers 
     from Company F in small, flat-bottomed boats.
       ``We were a little nervous, hoping we were going to hit the 
     place we were supposed to hit,'' said Schroeder, who is now 
     89 and lives in Largo.
       At about 6:30 a.m., Schroeder's company began wading toward 
     shore in waist-high water. He held up his .45-caliber pistol 
     to keep it from getting wet.
       Amid a flurry of smoke and gunfire, they stormed Utah 
     Beach. Schroeder is believed to be the first American solider 
     to step foot on the beach during the battle considered the 
     turning point of World War II.
       ``We prayed and prayed that everyone got the right 
     signal,'' said Schroeder, who retired from the Army in 1971 
     as a colonel.
       It's been 64 years since that fateful day. But Schroeder 
     said the images from that morning remain etched in his mind 
     forever.
       For the next eight hours, Schroeder led his men in battle. 
     By noon, half of them were either killed or injured.
       Relatives thousands of miles away in America were desperate 
     for details.
       Schroeder's wife, Margaret, 91, said she received a call 
     from her mother-in-law that morning.
       ``She said, `My son and your husband landed safely on the 
     beach,' '' Margaret said, laughing. ``I thank God over and 
     over that he made it back safely to his family.''
       During the fight, a machine gun round ripped open 
     Schroeder's left forearm. The next thing he remembers, he was 
     heading to a hospital in England.
       ``I lost some time after that, and don't remember what 
     happened or how long,'' Schroeder said. ``The decision was 
     whether they could save my arm.'' Schroeder's forearm still 
     bears the long scar from his five surgeries.
       From Glen Burnie, Md., Schroeder graduated from the 
     University of Maryland. After World War II, he went on to 
     fight in the Korean War and worked logistics during Vietnam. 
     He believes he is the only remaining survivor among his 
     college classmates who participated in World II. Two of those 
     classmates died last year.
       Schroeder, who earned a Silver Star and a Bronze Star 
     during World War II, now surrounds himself with memories of 
     his Army service. Two ball caps with his unit's name are 
     proudly displayed in his living room. In his office are 
     framed military ribbons and certificates.
       The black leather boots Schroeder wore when he landed on 
     Utah Beach are in the garage. There is also a huge poster of 
     him on the front of a French magazine that proclaimed him the 
     first man to land on a beach in Normandy during D-day. He and 
     his wife of 66 years were flown to France in 1984 in honor of 
     D-day's 50th anniversary.
       Though he turns 90 on July 16, there's another date that's 
     just as important. ``I say that June 6 is my second 
     birthday,'' he said.

     

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