[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 28, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF HERBERT ADAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 28, 2012

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing Herbert Adams of Worcester, 
MA. Herbert is being honored on March 13, 2012 by the Worcester City 
Council Chamber for his volunteer service to his community. Herbert was 
born in Maine, where he was adopted by an uncle after the tragic deaths 
of his parents. When the United States entered WWII, he repeatedly 
attempted to volunteer for the service, finally discovering that he was 
exempted from the military due to his job in the shipyards. Herbert 
applied just one more time--this time claiming to be unemployed. Once 
in the Army, Herbert again tenaciously fought his way into the line of 
fire. With determination and a little luck, he qualified as a 
paratrooper in time to take part in some of the most ferocious fighting 
of the war.
  Like many paratroopers, Mr. Adams time and time again found himself 
in crucial battles. From North Africa he was shipped to Italy and 
fought on the beaches at Anzio. After Italy he went to the Western 
Front and took part in Operation Market Garden, where he was 
temporarily reported as missing in action to his wife, Beverly. A month 
later he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, playing a key role in the 
capture of an entire German company. After the German surrender Herbert 
was assigned as a personal bodyguard to General Dwight D. Eisenhower. 
He would meet President Eisenhower once more, when he visited Worcester 
during his presidential campaign.
  Mr. Adams' military service, for which he was awarded two Bronze 
Stars and a Purple Heart, is deserving of recognition on its own. But 
he has also carried his lifetime of public service into his civilian 
life. Herbert has been recognized for his exemplary four decades with 
the scouts and works endlessly to maintain Worcester's parks and 
monuments. Every American can aspire to imitate his lifetime of heroism 
and sacrifice. Today I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
honoring Mr. Herbert Adams.

                          ____________________