[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 103 (Wednesday, June 20, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S4278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING ANDREW RAMOTNIK

 Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I commemorate the life of 
Andrew Ramotnik, a retired veteran from Jacksonville, FL, who recently 
passed away.
  Andy Ramotnik grew up in Pennsylvania coal country. Two weeks after 
the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, at the age of 18, he enlisted in 
the U.S. Army Air Corps. In 1943, after basic and radio operator 
training, he was assigned to a B-25 medium bomber squadron based in the 
north African desert.
  On his 43rd bombing mission, Andy's bomber was shot down over Italy, 
and he was captured. Andy was a prisoner of war in Stalag 17B for 19 
months in Austria. In April 1945, he escaped, was recaptured, and 
escaped a second time. For 13 days, Andy and a fellow POW evaded 
capture. He was evading the enemy when the war ended in May 1945 and 
had to find his way to friendly troops. Andy met up with American 
troops and was granted leave and returned to service. After his return, 
Andy received a letter from the War Department and a check compensating 
him $1 for every day he was a POW. The check was for $554.
  It was the rest of the letter that led to my knowing Andy and his 
incredible story. While the check he received was for $554, Andy had 
actually been a POW for 567 days. However, for 13 of those days, Andy 
was evading capture while hiding from the Germans in the Austrian 
countryside. The Army does not pay soldiers when they are evading 
capture, so the Army docked Andy $13 for the days he had escaped.
  Now, Andy did not need the $13. It was not the money but rather the 
principle. He had done what was expected of him and what was prescribed 
in the Armed Services Code of Conduct. He had escaped, and the Army was 
docking him for it. So when I met Andy more than 60 years later, he 
still had that $13 on his mind. He told me his story of the bombing 
missions, of his plane being shot down, and the struggle to get the 
door open so he and another soldier could parachute out. He told me 
about the POW camp, hiding in a cave during his first escape, and 
hiding at an Austrian farm during his second. He also told me how 
foolish he thought it was that the Army docked his pay for doing what 
he was supposed to do.
  My office looked into it. Unfortunately, it is a longstanding policy 
not to pay soldiers evading capture and an issue not easily remedied. 
Unfortunately, we could not get Andy his $13.
  So, with his passing, I would like to recognize the life of Andy 
Ramotnik and thank him for his service. On principle, I think we still 
owe him $13. It is a small cost to pay for an 18-year-old boy standing 
up to help stop the spread of tyranny and preserving the free 
world.

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