[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 2262-2263]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE MILITARY SERVICE OF WWII VETERAN ROBERT PITTS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TRENT KELLY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 7, 2017

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor WWII 
Veteran Robert ``Bob'' Pitts who proudly served in the 150th Combat 
Engineer Battalion. Mr. Pitts joined the Army in 1943 and left his 
boyhood home in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts for basic training at Fort 
Devens, Massachusetts. He was among a group of young men from New 
England who received special training in electrical engineering. Their 
small unit would distinguish themselves during fierce military 
campaigns including being in the first assault crossings of the Rhine 
River. They became one of the few small units to receive a Presidential 
Unit Citation.
  Mr. Pitts, who rose to the rank of Tec 5, served as the battalion 
electrician, battalion photographer, and reconnaissance scout. It was 
during his time in Europe that Mr. Pitts began his duties as the 
battalion photographer. He often developed photographs in a makeshift 
darkroom which also served as his sleeping quarters.
  In addition to taking photographs on and off the battlefield, Mr. 
Pitts would also go on dangerous reconnaissance missions. He was 
awarded the Bronze Star while serving on a mission with the battalion 
captain and two others. They came under small arms fire and

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then they encountered a German unit with tanks. His bravery that day 
earned him the Bronze Star. Mr. Pitts would also earn the Good Conduct 
Medal.
  Eventually, this tight-knit unit would be divided up, but that did 
not keep them from staying in touch. Two years after they returned home 
from war, these young soldiers formed the 150th Combat Engineer 
Battalion Association. They held reunions for more than 60 years before 
their last one in 2005.
  Mr. Pitts' son, Rick, says his father's engineering skills would 
serve him well when he returned to the civilian world. Mr. Pitts was 
eventually employed by MIT as an electronic engineer assistant. He 
worked on very early computers and later on ``Star Wars'' projects for 
the U.S. Department of Defense in Massachusetts, Hawaii and New Mexico.
  Mr. Pitts, who is now 94, is a member of our greatest generation. It 
is an honor to recognize this great American veteran and citizen who 
leaves behind a legacy that will be remembered for generations to come. 
It is an honor to be among those who followed in his footsteps as a 
member of the 150th Combat Engineer Battalion.
  Mr. Pitts was married to Eleanor M. Hathaway for 48 years. She died 
in 1998. They have three children; Robert (deceased), Nancy and 
Richard. He has one grandson, Robert.

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