[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 650-651]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE LIFE OF SERGEANT WILLIAM J. ROSSMAN JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. PAUL RYAN

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 13, 2015

  Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I am submitting this statement to 
honor the extraordinary life of a proud Wisconsinite, an American hero, 
and a friend: Sergeant William J. Rossman Jr. Sergeant Rossman recently 
passed away at the age of 91. He was a husband and father, a decorated 
military veteran, and an outstanding member of his community. And 
despite his storied military career and numerous accolades, those who 
were fortunate enough to meet Sergeant Rossman know he preferred to go 
by the much more modest title of ``Bill.''
  Bill was your typical World War II Veteran. He was proud of his 
service, but never one to boast or brag of his accomplishments. He 
understood the true meaning of service: that you put others ahead of 
yourself. And he practiced this throughout his entire life, whether it 
was with his family, his work, or his community. But it was nearly 71 
years ago, during his time fighting in the war, that Bill performed an 
act of service that still leaves me in awe to this day.

[[Page 651]]

  On February 14, 1944, after bombing the marshalling yards at Verona, 
Italy, Bill's B-24 Liberator was hit by a fierce concentration of flak 
that knocked out two of its engines. Unable to keep up with the bomber 
formation, six Messerschmitt ME-109s attacked the bomber, knocking out 
a third engine and starting a fire. The pilot, Lt. Robert Gernand, rang 
the alarm bell and ordered the crew to bail out of the aircraft. The 
bomber was in flames and falling in a tight spiral, quickly losing 
altitude. Under these dire circumstances, it would have made sense for 
Bill to follow the orders of Lt. Gernand and immediately do what was 
necessary to protect his own life. But that's not what happened. Bill 
noticed that his crew member Sgt. Louis Vasquez, the aircraft's 
radioman, was wounded and immobile. With complete disregard for his own 
life, Bill attended to Vasquez, removing his helmet and flak suit and 
securing his parachute before finally pushing him out of the camera 
hatch. Finally, Bill, who was also severely wounded, secured his own 
parachute and exited the aircraft.
  Bill's story does not end there. After touching down, he was 
discovered by Italian resistance fighters who gave him medical care and 
transferred him to a monastery, where he posed as a wounded French 
civilian and remained silent to avoid being discovered by the Germans. 
But after ten days, Bill was identified as an American and taken away 
by German forces. He spent the next 15 months in various POW camps in 
different countries. Throughout his imprisonment, he was starved, his 
life was threatened, and received no medical attention for his wounds. 
He was marched from camp to camp, and faced numerous near-death 
experiences. Finally, in April 1945, Bill and his fellow prisoners in 
Bavaria were liberated by the Thirteenth Armored Division, led by a 
name familiar to all Americans: General George Patton.
  Amazingly, Bill continued his career in the military after returning 
home to America. He remained in the Air Force and married his wife, 
Alice, in 1947 while attending Officer Candidate School. In 1949, he 
was discharged from the service after six years with the Army Air Corps 
and the U.S. Air Force. He returned to Racine, Wisconsin, where he and 
Alice raised their daughter, Pamela, and Bill worked in the private 
sector for 36 years until his retirement in 1986. In 2002, I had the 
privilege of presenting Bill with the Distinguished Flying Cross, 
America's oldest military aviation award. In addition to this and many 
other honors, Bill was also a recipient of a POW medal and the Purple 
Heart.
  Bill was a true American patriot. I am submitting this statement for 
the record to honor his incredible life and help ensure that his story 
is remembered for years to come. His legacy sets a standard of what it 
truly means to serve. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Alice, 
his daughter Pamela, and his son-in-law Michael. He will be greatly 
missed by his friends, his family, the state of Wisconsin, and the 
United States of America.

                          ____________________