Jerry Moran: “Several years ago, the House adopted a resolution honoring those valiant Americans who survived the last desperate…”

“Several years ago, the House adopted a resolution honoring those valiant Americans who survived the last desperate battle in the European theater during World War II, the Battle of the Bulge. Many of the members of our committee and Members of Congress have relatives who fought in this epic struggle. A group of survivors of this most heroic battle have asked Congress to enact legislation to enable them to replace the modest plaque at Arlington National Cemetery commemorating this battle with a more appropriate memorial. The cost of the memorial will be borne by that organization. Mr. Speaker, over 600,000 American troops participated in this action and more than 81,000 were wounded or killed. In scope and number of participants, no American engagement in our storied history was more costly or massive. The historic significance of the Battle of the Bulge cannot be overstated. If the American and Allied lines had broken, if our frost-bitten GIs fighting and dying in the cold December and January of 1944 and 1945 failed to rally from the ferocity of the initial German assault, or if the weather had not improved enough for our air superiority to turn the tide of battle, World War II could have been prolonged for months or even years. The shape of Europe could have been dramatically different and countless additional Jews, Catholics, Slavs, Gypsies and other political prisoners would surely have died in Nazi death camps.”