[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 146 (Tuesday, October 6, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CELEBRATING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ITALIAN PRISONERS OF WAR ASSIGNED TO 
           LETTERKENNY ARMY DEPOT, CHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 6, 2015

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
accomplishments of World War II's Italian Service Units, in particular, 
the 321st Quartermaster Battalion once assigned to Letterkenny Army 
Depot near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
   During the summer of 1943, fierce fighting took place across North 
Africa and Sicily between Allied Forces and the Axis Powers. The U.S. 
and its allies captured approximately 275,000 prisoners of war and sent 
nearly 1,250 Italian soldiers to the Letterkenny Army Depot in 
Pennsylvania. A few months later, an armistice was signed with Italy 
and the one-time foes transformed into Italian Service Units 
culminating as the 321st Quartermaster Battalion.
   With sworn allegiance to the United States, they spent the next 
seventeen months ordering, stocking and shipping critical military 
items to our men and women serving in the Pacific and European Theaters 
of war. The rugged labor and staunch commitment of the 321st 
Quartermaster Battalion were integral to the Allies' eventual defeat of 
the Axis Powers. Additionally, the men once held prisoner now helped to 
construct the depot itself, including a chapel and bell tower 
resplendent in Tuscan style.
   As we mark the 70th Anniversary of the end of World War II, we also 
celebrate the repatriation of these distinctive soldiers and honor 
their contributions to both our home front and efforts abroad. They 
will forever remain entwined in our history and in our hearts.

                          ____________________