[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 2 (Friday, January 4, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S23]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING VIRGIL WALLACE

 Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, in the annals of our 
Nation's military history, the story of the defenders of Bataan will 
long live in our collective memory. One of those great defenders, Mr. 
Virgil Wallace, recently passed away at the age of 99. Mr. Wallace 
survived the 4 month battle, the infamous Bataan Death March, and 3 
years of horrendous captivity. He was the State of New Mexico's oldest 
Bataan veteran.
  Our Nation is forever in debt to the extraordinary courage and 
sacrifice that Mr. Wallace and the ``Battling Bastards of Bataan'' 
demonstrated in the early days of World War II. Their heroic resistance 
helped slow the Japanese advance, allowing crucial time for the Allied 
forces to reorganize and eventually reverse Japan's progress. They 
played a crucial role in our Nation's history. I am proud to have 
sponsored legislation to award these valiant soldiers the Congressional 
Gold Medal.
  The Japanese attack on the Philippines in December, 1941, just hours 
after the attack on Pearl Harbor, led to 4 months of intense combat. 
Outnumbered, outgunned, Mr. Wallace and his fellow soldiers put up a 
desperate fight. For 4 months, they struggled, they valiantly fought, 
against impossible odds, and without hope of resupply, until they 
finally surrendered.
  Their suffering was only just beginning. The brutal Bataan Death 
March was followed by terrible conditions in Japanese prisons and work 
camps. Starvation. Torture. Forced work. And, for so many of these 
brave men, death. By the time they were rescued, toward the end of the 
war, half of New Mexico's 1,800 soldiers serving in Bataan had died. 
Another 300 would die from complications related to their captivity 
within a year of returning to the U.S. Mr. Wallace was held captive for 
more than 3 horrific years.
  Virgil Wallace was awarded the Bronze Star and numerous other 
commendations for his heroic service. After the war, he returned to New 
Mexico, where he worked for the Department of Transportation and later 
Carrie Tingley Hospital in Truth or Consequences.
  Our Nation will long remember this courageous soldier, a man who gave 
so much in service to his country. Mr. Wallace is one of the last of a 
legendary band of brothers, who represented the very best of who we 
are. In the dark days of the beginning of World War II, they showed 
America's fighting spirit and inspired a nation.
  I extend my deepest sympathies to Mr. Wallace's family and friends. I 
hope that you will find comfort in your memories of his long, and 
distinguished, life. We honor his valor and his example, and we mourn 
your loss.

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