[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17428-17429]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TEJANOS OF WORLD WAR II

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2010

  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, America honors Hispanic Heritage 
this month. I would like to recognize some of Texas' heroes who served 
their country in body and deed, held up the torch of bravery and, in 
turn, were awarded Medals of Honor for their actions.
  Born in San Marcos, Texas, Cleto Rodriguez enlisted in the U.S. Army 
in 1944, where he served as a Private in Company B, 148th

[[Page 17429]]

Infantry, 37th Infantry Division. On February 9, 1945 in Manila, while 
crossing a railroad station, Cleto's platoon was stopped by intense 
Japanese gunfire. Without being ordered to do so, Rodriguez and a 
fellow soldier, Private First Class John N. Reese, Jr., left the 
platoon and marched straight into the enemy volley. For two and a half 
hours, charged on conquest, Rodriguez and Reese killed over 82 Japanese 
soldiers and paved the way for an American victory at the railroad 
station that day. Sadly, Reese was killed in action defending his 
friends and country. For his ``determination to destroy the enemy and 
courage in the face of tremendous odds,'' Rodriguez was awarded the 
Medal of Honor. He became the first Mexican American GI to be given 
this award in the South Pacific.
  Private First Class Silvestre Herrera, drafted to the U.S. Army in 
1944, was a seasoned veteran. He had been stationed on the front lines 
in Germany for several months. A part of the 36th ``Texas'' Division, 
Herrera had experienced the most violent fighting in the Central Europe 
campaign when the Allies closed in to deliver the finishing blow on 
Nazi Germany. As Americans advanced toward the border, German 
resistance mounted. That day, Herrera's division, the 142nd Regiment, 
neared the French-German border town of Mertzwiller. When orders were 
given to advance the town, Herrera, being a scout, was 400 yards ahead 
of his company. The regiment was suddenly overwhelmed by machine gun 
nest fire from the enemy. Armed with only a bayonet and an M1 hand 
rifle, Herrera single-handedly captured eight German soldiers and sent 
them to American lines. However, upon gearing up for a second attempt 
to end the gunfire, he stepped on an anti-personnel mine that blew off 
both his feet. Despite the intense pain and loss of blood, Herrera 
continued to fight and kill two more German soldiers. His presence 
enabled his comrades to lead a full frontal attack on the enemy 
position. For his heroism that day Silvestre Herrera was awarded the 
Congressional Medal of Honor.
  And last, but certainly not least--a hero from Congressional District 
2. One of twelve children from a large Mexican American family, Lucian 
Adams was born in Port Arthur, Texas in 1922. The summer of 1944, Adams 
was stationed near the town of Saint-Die in the Mortagne forest of 
France. With supply lines cut off by the Germans, Adams was sent out as 
a scout for his company and alerted the commander of three enemy 
machine gun nests. He was given orders to ``go on out there and make a 
breakthrough to get those GIs.'' Armed with a borrowed Browning 
automatic rifle, Adams and his men started walking in a heavily wooded 
area of the forest. Having only walked 10 yards, enemy machine guns 
killed three men and wounded six others almost instantaneously. The 
company ran to take cover. However, Adams charged forward. He killed 
nine Germans, shot lobbying grenades, eliminated three enemy machine 
guns and forced two German infantrymen to surrender. In a matter of 10 
minutes, Adams had successfully cleared the woods of enemy soldiers and 
reopened the severed supply line. Adams was dubbed ``The Texas 
Tornado'' by his company men and received the Medal of Honor in 1945.
  The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest award for gallantry in 
action and is only given to the bravest of the brave. It is the 
American symbol of knighthood. Men like Rodriguez, Herrera and Adams 
deserve only the utmost respect from their countrymen. They are statues 
of strength--true visions of valor. With a thankful heart, I tip my hat 
to the Texas heroes who fought and are fighting for liberty. America 
salutes you.
  And, that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________