[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20117]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



            HONORING THE SURVIVORS OF THE BATTLE OF MALMADY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GEORGE W. GEKAS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2000

  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor a group of men that 
survived a massacre over 50 years ago. It was a cold December day when 
the gentlemen we honor today were caught up in the confusion that would 
eventually be called the Battle of the Bulge. They were members of 
Battery B, 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, a unit with 
many Central Pennsylvanians in its ranks.
  Attacked by an SS Panzer Division, nearly half the battery was 
compelled to surrender. Although dazed and depressed about the prospect 
of spending Christmas as prisoners of war, few expected the nightmare 
about to be unleashed by their Nazi captors.
  Completely unprovoked, the guards fired systematically into the group 
of defenseless prisoners, killing or wounding most of them. Many of 
those still living, suffering from exposure and wounds, were murdered 
by prowling SS guards.
  A handful of soldiers escaped by either playing dead or hiding in 
buildings close by. They lived to tell the tale of one of the most 
brutal crimes inflicted on U.S. troops during the war in Europe. Some 
were given aid by friendly Belgians, others were rescued by Colonel 
Pegrin, commander of the 291st Engineer Battalion. Some were lucky 
enough to limp back to American lines.
  The story of these men is a story of valor and sacrifice. Each of 
them gave selflessly of themselves to liberate a continent from Nazi 
tyranny. When their nation called, they went, regardless of danger and 
personal loss. They saw their friends die at the hands of SS thugs and 
wondered helplessly whether they were next. By escaping that bloody 
field, these men gave their comrades and their families at home a 
rallying cry which helped carry America to final victory over Hitler's 
Nazi empire.
  I know that the entire United States House of Representatives joins 
me in saluting the survivors and the fallen for their courage and 
perseverance that overcame the greatest menace to freedom the world has 
ever known. Their sacrifice remains an inspiration to our entire 
nation.

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