Bill Delahunt: “the relief provided by this legislation is of exceptional urgency, and I want to express my appreciation to Chairman…”

“the relief provided by this legislation is of exceptional urgency, and I want to express my appreciation to Chairman Hyde, Chairman Smith, Mr. Conyers, and Mr. Watt, for their cooperation and assistance in bringing this legislation forward on an expedited basis. These bills concern two men, now in their seventies, who have been American citizens for over 50 years. Each served in the Armed Forces of the United States during World War II, and each was captured by the Nazis and interned at the infamous concentration camp known as Buchenwald. The first man, Roy Desmond Moser, was held as a prisoner of war at Stalag 9B, one of the most brutal of the Nazi POW camps. From there, he and 350 of his American comrades were transported to Berga, a sub-camp of Buchenwald. There they were confined in unhealthy, degrading and inhumane conditions, subsisting on a starvation diet, subjected to forced labor, and brutalized by camp guards. After only 6 weeks at Berga, 24 had perished from starvation, overwork, disease and physical abuse. In early April 1945, the remaining prisoners were driven on a death march away from the advancing Allied front. Of the 280 American POW's who survived, most weighed less than 90 pounds when they were finally liberated.”