[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 24119-24120]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE DURING 
                              WORLD WAR II

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 2004

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 110, 
recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge during 
World War II.
  I thank Speaker Hastert for scheduling this bill and giving us this 
opportunity to pay tribute to the brave Americans who fought and died 
in that crucial battle. I know that this is personal to the Speaker. 
His mentor, the former Republican Leader from Illinois, Bob Michel, 
received the Purple Heart and other citations for his bravery in that 
battle. I share the Speaker's respect for Leader Michel. Further, the 
Speaker's family hails from Luxembourg, and the special ties between 
our countries that resulted from the Battle of the Bulge have great 
meaning to him.
  This is personal to me as well. My uncle, Johnny D'Alesandro, was one 
of the heroes who gave their lives for their country in the Battle of 
the Bulge. Like so many other families, his sacrifice was for us a 
source of both sorrow and pride--deep sadness over the loss of a 
wonderful man; tremendous pride that one of our own helped to preserve 
the freedom and values that we cherish as a nation.
  But beyond the personal significance that the battle holds for us is 
the towering importance it holds for human history. The Allied victory 
in World War II literally saved the world, and that victory became 
inevitable when the Allied forces successfully repelled the surprise 
German attack in what we call the Battle of the Bulge.
  With bitter cold and blinding snow, it was the bloodiest single 
battle ever fought by American soldiers. There were 81,000 American 
casualties, including 19,000 killed in action. The heroes of that 
battle rightfully take their place among the bravest and most noble in 
American history.
  We dedicated the World War II Memorial on the Mall this year to pay 
tribute to all of the veterans of that war, and we will honor the 
heroes of the Battle of the Bulge with ceremonies by citizens of the 
United States, Belgium, Luxembourg, and many other nations in

[[Page 24120]]

the coming months. But we can never truly repay the debt we owe them. 
We can offer only our words of heartfelt gratitude and our promise to 
never forget the sacrifice they made for our country.
  May God bless the heroes of the Battle of the Bulge. May God bless 
all of the men and women serving in uniform today. And may God bless 
America.

                          ____________________