[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1249]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING CLARKE BLODGETT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 24, 2017

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize 
Clarke Blodgett. Clarke is a very special young man who has exemplified 
the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active 
part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 81, and earning the most 
prestigious award of Eagle Scout.
   Clarke has been very active with his troop, participating in many 
scout activities. Over the many years Clarke has been involved with 
scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the 
respect of his family, peers, and community. Most notably, Clarke has 
mastered the bugle, led his troop as the Senior Patrol Leader, and 
earned the rank of Warrior in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. Clarke also 
contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout project. Clarke 
built, installed and organized shelves inside a shed at Sacred Heart 
Church in Bevier, Missouri.
   Mr. Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Clarke 
Blodgett for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for 
his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle 
Scout.

                    HONORING THE SS ``EXODUS 1947''

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 24, 2017

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
extraordinary events surrounding the SS Exodus 1947, to which a 
historic memorial will be dedicated in the Port of Haifa in Israel this 
coming July.
  The SS Exodus 1947, originally known as the President Warfield, was a 
passenger ship operating on the ``Old Bay Line'' between Baltimore, MD 
and Norfolk, VA. The ship served in that role for nearly 15 years 
before being repurposed during World War II, when it served both the 
Royal Navy and the United States Navy. Following the war, the ship 
returned to the U.S. and was placed in the Naval Reserve Fleet in 
Virginia, where it was to be sold for scrap.
  Before the ship could be scrapped it was sold to the Haganah, the 
precursor to the Israel Defense Forces. The Haganah intended to use it, 
amongst 9 other ships, to evacuate displaced Jews from Europe to what 
was then Palestine, at the time under British Control. Before 
undertaking this mission the ship was towed to Baltimore, where it was 
refitted and crewed, primarily by volunteer Jewish-American ex-
soldiers.
  Once in Europe, the ship originally designed for 400 passengers was 
loaded with 4,454 Holocaust survivors and departed from the French Port 
of Sete. The ship was intercepted in international waters by a task 
force of eight British Naval vessels and was boarded by Royal Marines. 
While the unarmed crew and passengers fought back with whatever could 
be turned into weapons, they were eventually overwhelmed and taken back 
to France and then to displaced persons camps in Germany on British 
prison ships.
  The events on the Exodus garnered international media attention and 
are considered by historians to have played a role in the passage of 
United Nations Resolution 181, which established the State of Israel. 
The mayor of Haifa in 1950 dubbed the Exodus the ``Ship that Launched a 
Nation.''
  Memorials and historical markers for the Exodus have been placed in 
the Baltimore Harbor, as well as France and Germany. I am proud of the 
small role that Baltimore played in these historic events and also 
commend the work of my constituent, Dr. Barry S. Lever, with the Jewish 
American Society for Historic Preservation to dedicate a memorial to 
the Exodus in Israel, and I congratulate them on their successful 
efforts.

                          ____________________