[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 123 (Monday, July 23, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING PEDRO GONZALEZ

  Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to Pedro 
Gonzalez--a brave World War II veteran who endured the Bataan Death 
March and 3\1/2\ years in captivity in the Philippines and in Japan. 
Mr. Gonzalez passed away January 6, 2018, at the age of 96.
  Mr. Gonzalez was born in Las Cruces, NM, and later moved to Los 
Lunas, where he graduated from high school. Shortly after graduation, 
in 1940, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was assigned to the 19th 
Bombardment Group in the Philippines.
  On December 8, 1941--7 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor--
Japanese bombers attacked U.S. military stations in the Philippines. 
Mr. Gonzalez had learned earlier that they had attacked Hawaii, and, 
when he first heard planes that morning, he thought there were U.S. 
reinforcements. They were not.
  Mr. Gonzalez and American troops fought valiantly to defend the 
Philippines, but they ran low on ammunitions, supplies, food, and 
manpower and were forced to surrender in April 1942. Fifteen thousand 
Americans and 60,000 Filipinos were taken prisoner.
  These prisoners of war then began the 60-mile long Bataan Death 
March. Mr. Gonzalez was only 20 years old. He recalled they had ``no 
food, no water,'' that men were beaten and beheaded, and bodies were 
strewn in the road. During the march, one of his commanding officers 
told him, ``Pete, you keep that smile on your face and you're gonna 
make it back.'' During part of the journey, the men were hauled in box 
cars, packed as tight as could be. Mr. Gonzalez stood right at the edge 
of the door and survived, but it was said that five to six of the men 
in his boxcar died.
  Mr. Gonzalez suffered cerebral malaria, dengue, beriberi, shrapnel 
wounds, a broken back, a dislocated knee, and broken fingers but he 
survived the years of captivity. After he returned home, he was awarded 
a Silver Star for valor in combat and two Purple Hearts for his 
injuries.
  I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Gonzalez during filming of a local 
Public Broadcasting Corporation documentary honoring the 70th 
anniversary of the Bataan fall. He was a gentle, soft-spoken man who 
was humble about the bravery and fortitude he exhibited during those 
harsh years.
  After the war, Mr. Gonzalez moved to Albuquerque, began a family, and 
worked at what was then called Sandia Base, which later merged with 
Kirtland Air Force Base. After, he worked for the Department of Defense 
as an inventory specialist for nuclear weapons and as a financial 
officer for different branches of the military, retiring in the 1980s. 
After retirement, he stayed involved with veterans' organizations and 
served as local commander of a chapter of former prisoners of war.
  Mr. Gonzalez is preceded in death by his wife and is survived by two 
sons and their spouses.
  Mr. Gonzalez is part of American and New Mexico history. He fought 
for his country and, through bravery, determination, and grit, survived 
the brutality of the Bataan Death March and captivity. I honor all that 
Pedro Gonzalez achieved and experienced to preserve international peace 
and stability.

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