[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 19489]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   BATAAN CORREGIDOR MEMORIAL BRIDGE

 Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, today I wish to commemorate 
the dedication of Bataan Corregidor Memorial Bridge in Weatogue, CT, 
earlier this month.
  Crossing over the Farmington River in Connecticut, this bridge will 
now honor the patriotism and courage of the brave men from Connecticut 
and across the nation who fought in the Battles of Bataan and 
Corregidor in 1942 in the Pacific during World War II. From January to 
April 1942, American and Filipino forces fought Japanese soldiers along 
the Bataan Peninsula and the island of Corregidor in the Philippines. 
When both fell to the Japanese, an estimated 10,000 American and 
Filipino troops were killed and 20,000 wounded. Another 15,000 American 
and 60,000 Filipino troops were taken prisoner and forced to endure the 
Bataan Death March.
  Dan Crowley of Simsbury and Darrel Stark of Stafford Springs, who 
were there in combat, are the last two surviving residents of 
Connecticut who fought in these historic battles in the United States 
Army following the attack on Pearl Harbor. After Mr. Crowley fought in 
the Battle of Bataan, he refused to surrender and swam to the island of 
Corregidor where he was later taken prisoner by the Japanese and 
endured 42 months in Japanese prison camps. His story is one of many 
heroic accounts from this theater during World War II.
  The moving dedication ceremony included a flyover, musical 
performances, blessing of the bridge, ribbon cutting, and a stirring, 
closing bugle taps. I deeply appreciate the work of Mr. Crowley, State 
Senator Kevin Witkos, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation 
in creating this important symbol of our Nation's stalwart gratitude 
for the tremendous sacrifices of countless men during this series of 
battles. The Bataan Corregidor Memorial Bridge is vivid in its 
simplicity and elemental strength. It is not a grand structure, but 
like the men whose unimaginable courage we celebrate, it is there in 
its simple, physical strength.
  We can never forget the service of the Greatest Generation, who 
protected our freedom and liberty--all who lost their lives and those 
who lived to pay tribute to their fellow comrades. This bridge will 
always be a memorial--a living memorial--used every day by all of us 
who will continue to remember and thank the brave patriots who fought 
so gallantly at Bataan and Corregidor.

                          ____________________