[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 15, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E33]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING HAROLD GROSS ON HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DARREN SOTO

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 15, 2025

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, born in Berlin, Germany, Harold Gross' 
childhood was marked by resilience and adaptability. His family left 
Germany when he was 15 years old and resettled in the Dominican 
Republic, where he began learning English. He later spent time in 
Haiti, where he picked up French before moving to the United States and 
settling in Detroit, Michigan as a teenager.
  Gross was drafted into the Army at age 18 in April of 1943 and gained 
his U.S. citizenship. Trained as an interpreter and interrogator, his 
skills as a German-to-English interpreter proved pivotal during World 
War II, particularly in interrogations of German prisoners.
  Gross served heroically while assigned to the Military Intelligence 
Service during D-Day, Normandy Beach (1944), France and Germany (1945-
1946), and the Nuremberg Trials (1945-1946).
  After his service, Gross returned to the United States and immersed 
himself in the world of breeding horses and horse racing. His lifelong 
connection to horses was inspired by his grandfather in Germany, who 
was also in the horse business. Gross bred and trained racehorses in 
Michigan, Florida. and Kentucky, achieving significant success.
  Gross and his wife Elaine turned their mutual love of horses into a 
very successful business called Boot and Saddle, which sold horse 
supplies and medicines for racehorses. They were married for 44 years 
until she passed away in 2002. One of his proudest accomplishments was 
naming a racehorse, Jeffrey's Gyro, in honor of their late son Jeffrey, 
who passed away at an early age.
  Harold Gross' 100 years are a testament to resilience, love, and the 
enduring spirit of a veteran who has lived life to the fullest. His 
story inspires those around him, a beacon of wisdom and joy.

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