[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 14 (Thursday, January 23, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E63]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALLIED VICTORY AT THE BATTLE OF 
                               THE BULGE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ANN WAGNER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 23, 2025

  Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of the Battle 
of the Bulge and the courage of the American troops who fought there.
  This Saturday, January 25, marks the 80th Anniversary of this 
historic Allied victory.
  41 days, Mr. Speaker.
  For 41 days, our soldiers stood guard in much colder weather than we 
have experienced this week in Washington or back in my home State of 
Missouri.
  For 41 days, these men, many still teenagers, fought from snow-
covered foxholes when death and defeat looked imminent.
  For 41 days, they saw their brothers, thousands of miles from home, 
succumb to hypothermia, bullets, bombs, and artillery.
  For 41 days, over seven hundred thousand Allied troops, short on 
equipment, ammunition, and warm clothes, experienced warfare that they 
would never forget.
  For 41 days, these heroes fought and won a battle that would 
fundamentally change the course of human history.
  As we've all shivered through the freezing temperatures this month, 
it's impossible to imagine what must have gone through the minds of our 
soldiers hunkered down in the Ardennes.
  The anguish and sacrifices these brave men endured will never be 
truly understood, but will never, ever, be forgotten.
  It will not be forgotten by the liberated people of Western Europe, 
and certainly not by the American people these soldiers gave their 
lives defending.
  Earlier today, the Embassies of Belgium and Luxembourg hosted a 
wreath-laying ceremony at the Battle of the Bulge Memorial in Arlington 
National Cemetery.
  I want to thank these Nations for organizing this moving tribute to 
those who held the line for freedom over tyranny.
  But most importantly, it is my distinct honor to pay respects to the 
victors of the greatest land battle in the history of the United States 
Army.
  We are, and forever will be, grateful for your heroism.

                          ____________________