[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14965]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE HEROIC SERVICE AND SACRIFICE OF THE FIRST SPECIAL SERVICE 
                                 FORCE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 28, 2012

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
First Special Service Force for their unique service to the allied 
cause during World War Two. It is with a profound sense of gratitude 
that I honor the service and sacrifice of these forefathers of modern 
combined special operations forces. Their uniquely heroic contribution 
to the allied war effort in Europe played a crucial part in stemming 
the spread of tyranny and securing for future generations the blessings 
of freedom.
  The First Special Service Force was the first official special 
operations unit in American history. It was formed in July 1942 as a 
result of a top secret plan conceived by the Chiefs of Staff of the 
United States and Great Britain to assemble a new type of fighting 
force capable of combining special warfare tactics and speed of 
movement to attack and destroy key military and industrial 
installations in Europe supporting the Nazi war effort.
  It was initially composed of 1,800 American and Canadian volunteers 
who had been mountaineers, loggers, ranch hands and outdoorsmen before 
the war. They received extensive training at Fort William Henry 
Harrison, Montana, in parachuting, demolitions, mountain-climbing, 
winter warfare and amphibious landings.
  From 1943 onward, the First Special Service Force took part in high 
risk missions in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, in Italy and in the 
south of France; and they were the first Allied unit to enter liberated 
Rome. During combat operations at Anzio, Italy, captured Nazi documents 
indicated that, due to their ferocity and stealth in combat, the 
Germans had begun referring to the First Special Service Force as ``the 
Black Devils.'' It was from this revelation that the unit received its 
nickname--the Devil's Brigade. By the end of the war, the First Special 
Service Force lost a total of 2,314 men, equating to 134 percent of the 
original combat force.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, it is my honor 
to recognize the service and sacrifice of those valiant American and 
Canadian volunteers who served the cause of freedom as members of the 
First Special Service Force. Their dedication to duty, their selfless 
service to their countries, and their enormous contribution toward 
halting the spread of Nazi tyranny bear testament to the shared 
heritage of freedom between the United States and Canada. My wife Vicki 
joins me in saluting the men of the First Special Service Force on the 
occasion of the 70th anniversary of the formation of the First Special 
Service Force.

                          ____________________