[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15613]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF AMERICAN VALOR AT THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE AND THE 
              70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PATTON PRAYER CARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and remember the bravery 
of American troops who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and to recall 
the unique prayer cards General George Patton distributed to his Third 
Army in December 1944. The prayer, which asked for favorable weather, 
was printed on the back of a Christmas greeting from General Patton. 
The troops received these prayer cards prior to the Battle of the 
Bulge.
  The incident of the now famous Patton Prayer commenced with a 
telephone call to the Third Army Chaplain on the morning of December 8, 
1944. After weeks of severe rains that threatened the prospects of 
victory, General Patton called to ask Msgr. James H. O'Neill if he knew 
a prayer for good weather. While looking out on the steadily falling 
rain, the chaplain wrote an original prayer alongside a Christmas 
greeting, and then had it circulated to all 250,000 Third Army troops 
on the eve of the Battle of the Bulge.
  The prayer, in part, read: ``Almighty and most merciful Father, we 
humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these 
immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair 
weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon 
Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory 
. . .''
  The Battle of the Bulge, one of World War II's most critical battles, 
started when Nazi forces launched a major surprise offensive on 
December 16. Fought among the dense forests bordering Belgium and 
Luxembourg, it was the bloodiest battle the U.S. encountered during the 
World War II, with over 18,000 Americans killed and over 65,000 
captured or injured. The heavy rains and thick fog eventually subsided, 
and Allied forces were able to hold off Nazi forces and severely 
deplete their resource supply. The Battle of the Bulge is symbolic of 
the resilience and strength of American soldiers, who were unyielding 
in the face of both enemy fire and debilitating weather. After the 
Battle, General Patton told Msgr. O'Neill that ``our prayers worked.'' 
To General Patton, prayer was just as powerful a weapon of war as 
defense and attack strategies.
  It is an honor for me to commemorate the valor of these American 
soldiers, the leadership of General Patton, and the ultimate victory of 
the ``Greatest Generation.''

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