[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20] [House] [Pages 27992-27993] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]{time} 1315 MILO C. HUEMPFNER DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINIC Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2408) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the ``Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2408 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINIC, GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN. The Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the ``Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''. Any reference to such medical center in any law, regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the United States shall be considered to be a reference to the Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California. Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my distinguished colleague from Wisconsin (Mr. Kagen) to speak about the bill which he has authored to name the outpatient clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin, after this great hero. Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to speak in support of H.R. 2408, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Green Bay for Milo C. Huempfner, Brown County, Wisconsin's most highly decorated veteran of World War II, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor, the Bronze Star, and numerous other commendations. Having cared for thousands of veterans as their physician, and now as their elected Representative, I would also like to thank the members of the leadership and the members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee who worked hard to bring this legislation to the floor today, especially Chairman Filner. Thank you. And thank you as well to Ambassador Mark Green for beginning this good work. We need to remember Milo C. Huempfner. He was a hero. His bravery, his dedication to others and his selflessness to serve is a beacon to guide all of us today. Milo served in one of the best trained units in the U.S. Army, the elite 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion. It was a unit where courage was common. Yet even in this company, Milo distinguished himself. Milo Huempfner was literally a one-man army. For 2 days in December of 1944, Milo Huempfner was literally a one-man army. He singlehandedly waged war against a German tank column in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. In that chaotic battle, Milo and a colleague were separated from their convoy with a truckload of ammunition. They were near the Belgian town of Leignon when their truck slid off the road into a ditch. Milo was left behind to guard the truck until a tow truck could return. He had instructions to destroy it if the Germans arrived. He turned down opportunities to leave. When he heard an armed column of Panzer tanks approaching, he burned the truck and retreated into the local city. Over the course of the next 2 days and 2 nights, Milo waged a one-man battle, a one-man guerrilla war against the town's Nazi occupiers. He destroyed tanks; he destroyed trucks. He stormed the machine gun positions and engaged in hand-to-hand fighting with enemy troops. When he was not protecting townspeople of Leignon, Milo would sneak out of town to warn approaching troops, allied troops, that the enemy was nearby. He saved many American soldiers' lives. One evening, a freezing evening, the townspeople came to him and asked if he would go to church and protect them. The people wanted to go to church and he could not understand why. Well, it happened to be Christmas Eve, they reminded him. And he stood outside armed only with a pistol to protect them on Christmas Eve. As the people of Leignon celebrated, he stood guard as he stands guard now. On Christmas morning, Milo received his present when allied forces began their counterattack and surrounded the town. Milo didn't stop. He sprang into action against a German artillery hidden in a barn, and 18 Nazis surrendered to him. When Milo finally met the allied troops, they almost mistook him for a German spy. They couldn't believe that a single soldier could hold them off from this town and couldn't understand how a single American soldier could bring so many enemy troops into being captives. For these deeds, Private Huempfner was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The after-action report on Private Huempfner's deeds ends with these words, and I quote: ``His gallantry, intrepidity and extraordinary heroism while operating within the very limits of the German units, without being ordered to do so, and when withdrawal could have been accomplished with [[Page 27993]] honor and safety, reflect the highest standards and ideal of the military service and favorably demonstrated to the citizens of Leignon the courage and daring of the American soldier.'' After the war, Milo Huempfner preferred not to talk about his experiences. This was common for many soldiers in World War II. His own children did not know any of what I just spoke about until his funeral, when Milo's comrades stepped forward to speak of their cherished comrade. Despite his silence, Milo remained a committed patriot and dedicated to the men he served. Over the years between the war and his passing in 1985, Milo attended the funerals of over 900 veterans in Brown County, Wisconsin. He used his dress uniform so frequently that he wore it out. As a mark of respect and thanks, local veterans organizations paid to have it restored. By naming this temporary community outpatient clinic building in Green Bay after Milo Huempfner, we are paying respect to one of Wisconsin's great heroes. I would like to thank Milo Huempfner's children, Jackie, Wayne, Geri and Milo, for their help and also his friend, Bernard Depry of Green Bay, who brought this request to my attention and worked tirelessly over the years to make this a reality. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 2408. We are recognizing the deeds of a brave and noble man. Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2408, a bill to designate the VA outpatient clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin as the Milo Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic would honor an individual whose demeanor during combat in World War II exemplifies the concept of the army of one. In 1944, Private First Class Huempfner was stranded in the small Belgian village of Leignon after his truck was separated from its convoy and slid off the road. While in hiding in Leignon, Private First Class Huempfner found that the village had been overrun by German troops. He proceeded, over the next 4 days and nights, to singlehandedly wage war against an entire German armored column consisting of tanks, numerous heavy gun emplacements, and hundreds of soldiers. During this period of time, Private First Class Huempfner warned off numerous American and British troops from Leignon, who otherwise would have been slaughtered by the Germans occupying the town. He repeatedly refused to be evacuated on these occasions, staying to destroy additional German equipment, killing German soldiers in direct combat, and protecting the citizens of the occupied town. Mr. Speaker, on Christmas Eve, British forces dislodged German forces using information collected by Private First Class Huempfner. After over 72 hours on his feet, under constant threat and harassment from enemy forces, Private First Class Huempfner retired to a household he had earlier defended. For all of these accomplishments he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1973. After the war, Private First Class Huempfner attended the funerals of as many veteran comrades as possible. Reports indicate that he participated in the burial of some 900 fellow comrades in arms over the years since World War II, attending in full dress uniform, honoring their service and repeatedly demonstrating his love for our Nation by showing the brave veterans of Brown County the dignity and respect that they had earned. He continued attending these funerals until a week before his death in October 1985. Mr. Speaker, I support honoring this brave American veteran by naming this facility the Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic. It is a fine tribute to a true patriot and true hero. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. General Leave Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I again ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2408. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California? There was no objection. Mr. FILNER. I want to thank Mr. Kagen for bringing this story and history of a brave American and a great hero for Wisconsin. I wish your guys from Green Bay, whether they be quarterbacks or heroes, would have names we could pronounce. But we thank you for telling us the story of Milo Huempfner, and we look forward to the naming of the facility in Green Bay after him. Mr. Speaker, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) was established in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson. It is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army and surpassed only by the Medal of Honor in order of precedence. The DSC is awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life and this extraordinary heroism must take place while the individual is engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States. The act of heroism must be so notable and involve risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his comrades. It is an honor for me to stand before you today to talk about one such individual--Milo C. Huempfner. Mr. Huempfner was the most decorated serviceman in Brown County during World War II. In 1944, PFC Huempfner committed acts of extraordinary bravery and heroism during the final European campaign of World War II. On December 20, 1944, in Belgium, PFC Huempfner was driving a truck loaded with ammunition that went off the road. Sending his only comrade back to seek help and safety, Huempfner proceeded over the next 4 days and nights to wage war, single-handedly, against an entire German armored column. During this time, he warned off numerous American and British troops from the area who otherwise would have been slaughtered by the Germans occupying the area. After his military service he remained heavily involved in veterans activities. H.R. 2408 would name the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the ``Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''. Given his unselfish service to his country, it is only fitting that we name a Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in his honor. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague of Wisconsin, Steve Kagen, for introducing this bill and I urge the support of my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2408. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________