[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 119 (Monday, August 1, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5193-S5194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BAUCUS (for himself, Mr. Tester, and Mr. Burr):
  S. 1460. A bill to grant the congressional gold medal, collectively, 
to the First Special Service Force, in recognition of its superior 
service during World War II; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President: When speaking of the Royal Air Force 
before Parliament, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said: 
``Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to 
so few.''
  Churchill's words would ring true for the First Special Service Force 
as well. An elite and clandestine military unit during World War II, 
the Force was trained for the most difficult missions over the most 
arduous terrain. The Force pioneered many of the tactics used by 
today's Special Operations Forces. Their courage and audacity helped 
break through Nazi lines. Surprise night raids. Scaling cliffs. 
Traversing snowy mountain passes. The

[[Page S5194]]

Force never faced a mission that was too difficult or too dangerous to 
accomplish.
  It is a great honor to introduce legislation today with my colleagues 
Senator Tester and Senator Burr bestowing the First Special Service 
Force with the Congressional Gold Medal.
  The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor the United States 
Congress can present. It is reserved for an individual--or group of 
individuals--who performs an outstanding act of service to the United 
States. I can think of no group of men more deserving of this high 
honor than the First Special Service Force.
  The Force was comprised of volunteers from 49 States, the District of 
Columbia, and Canada. These men trained at Fort Harrison, in Helena, 
MT. Later, they were nicknamed the Black Devil's Brigade by a German 
soldier who complained they attacked in the middle of the night and 
then disappeared.
  The Force's training in Helena, Vermont, and Virginia was 
unconventional and brutal. Hand-to-hand combat. Demolition. Rock 
climbing. Ski and mountain warfare. Amphibious landings. Night air 
drops. Their training far surpassed that of any other unit during World 
War II. This unique training led to remarkable success in battle.
  The Force deployed to Italy in 1943. The first mission was to capture 
two peaks on the German Winter Line. This line had proven unbreakable 
and defeated massive Allied attacks. The road to liberate Rome led 
straight through this line. General Eisenhower needed to find a way to 
blast through. He chose the First Special Service Force.
  The Force attacked the German line using what both Allied and Axis 
forces thought was an impossible route--the north face. In the dead of 
winter. In the middle of the night. Needless to say, they surprised the 
German forces on Monte la Difensa. Over the next 46 days, the Force 
defeated the fortified German Winter Line. The victory came at a 
devastating price. The Force lost 1,300 men out of a total of 1,800.
  The First Special Service Force then moved to the Anzio-Nettmo 
beachhead. For 99 days, the Force battled the infamous German Hermann 
Goering Division. The Force pushed the Germans back, liberating Italian 
villages as they moved north toward Rome. On June 4, 1944, members of 
the Force routed German Forces guarding the eight bridges leading into 
Rome. Their advance cleared the way for other Allied forces to liberate 
Rome.
  The Force then turned to the Iles d'Hyeres, islands in southern 
France. Their amphibious assault surprised the Nazi occupiers and led 
to the capture of four Nazi forts. The Black Devil Brigade continued to 
the mainland where they hunted down the retreating German Eighth Army. 
The Force drove eastward in 15 weeks of battle to the Franco-Italian 
border, liberating the towns of Grasse, Villeneuve-Loubet, Sospel and 
Castillon in southern France.
  The Force deactivated on December 5, 1944 in southern France. The 
remainder of the war would be fought by large-scale armies, not covert 
units like the First Special Service Force.
  During the war, the Force suffered 2,314 casualties, equating to an 
astounding 134 percent of its combat strength. It captured over 30,000 
prisoners, won five U.S. campaign stars and eight Canadian battle 
honors. It never failed a mission. Today, only 230 of these brave 
soldiers remain to tell the tales of their remarkable service.
  As a testament to the unwavering camaraderie of the Force, the First 
Special Service Force Association was formed and continues to have 
reunions every year. They will be honoring the 70th anniversary of the 
creation of the Force at their reunion next year. With every passing 
day we lose more of these brave warriors, and it is crucial that we 
honor them now.
  We owe the liberty we enjoy today to the brave men of the Black Devil 
Brigade. So many of us indebted to so few. Fortunately for our great 
Nation, the legacy of the First Special Service Force lives on. The 
Canadian Special Operations Regiment and the Special Forces of the 
United States trace their lineage back to the First Special Service 
Force.
  It is time to award the First Special Service Force the Congressional 
Gold Medal. I strongly urge my colleagues to cosponsor this bill to 
honor these American heroes with the recognition and gratitude they 
have earned.
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