[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23709]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO THE SOLDIERS OF THE 66TH INFANTRY DIVISION

  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, today I join with my constituents in 
recognizing the brave men of the 66th Infantry Division.
  Sixty years ago on November 15, 1944, the soldiers left from New York 
Harbor on the USAT George Washington without knowledge of their 
destination. It turned out the USAT George Washington brought the 
soldiers to England, where they were stationed at Southampton Harbor 
until Christmas Eve 1944.
  On Dec. 16, 1944, the Nazis launched a desperate offensive in Belgium 
intended to split the Allied Forces. The fierce struggle became known 
as ``The Battle of the Bulge.'' As part of the allied response to this 
threat, on Christmas Eve 1944 over 2,000 American soldiers of the 66th 
Infantry Division stationed in England were rushed to Southampton, 
where they boarded the troopship SS Leopoldville. The troops were then 
transported across the English Channel, but just 5\1/2\ miles from 
their destination, Cherbourg, France, the vessel was torpedoed by the 
German submarine U-486.
  Some of the soldiers were killed instantly, some went down with the 
ship, some safely jumped from the ship's rail to the rescue craft that 
pulled alongside, while others missed the jump, plunged into the waves 
and were crushed as the two vessels came together. Some drowned, some 
froze to death in the frigid 48-degree waters of the English Channel. 
In all, there were 763 American soldiers confirmed dead, representing 
sons, husbands, and fathers from 47 of then 48 States. There were three 
sets of brothers killed, including two sets of twins. The bodies of 
both sets of twins were among the 493 never found. Although over 1,400 
soldiers survived, more than 500 were hospitalized with injuries or 
pneumonia. Missouri had 31 brave men who lost their lives that night. 
The Leopoldville disaster was the worst tragedy to eve befall an 
American Infantry Division as a result of an enemy submarine attack.
  It is my ultimate honor to recognize the heroism of the survivors and 
the sacrifice of the dead. In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, ``They 
are not dead who live in lives they leave behind. In those whom they 
have blessed they have life again.'' It is my hope that future 
generations of Americans remember the sacrifices and costs in human 
life made to preserve our liberties, and to instill in them an 
understanding of what it means to be an American.

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