OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Awarding Congressional Gold Medal to First Special Service Force

Floor Speech

Date: May 21, 2013
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Veterans

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Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. I rise today to give great support for H.R. 324.

Let me say, Mr. Speaker, at the outset that the Congressional Gold Medal is our highest honor; and there is no greater recipient that we can give this honor to than the First Special Service Forces, known as the Devil's Brigade. They were courageous. They risked their lives. As a matter of fact, they were the unit that led the liberation of France and Italy from the Nazis with daring, with courage, with skill. So it is very important for us to stand here today and to give great recognition to this unit.

There is a special bond between Canada and the United States, and that special bond started in World War II. For it was the first unit--and the only unit--where two nations, Canada and the United States, formed a force that accomplished what many felt was impossible.

You know, the Lord Jesus Christ said that there is no greater love--no greater love--that you can show than one who would give his life for another.

What a great honor this is, Mr. Speaker. I am just proud to join with my colleague, Mr. Miller from Florida--my good friend--and Mr. Cotton from Arkansas to give this recognition, this high nobility of purpose to the first unit.

Today, Mr. Speaker, we are proud to have our Navy SEALs, our Green Berets, our Special Ops, those special soldiers who go where many times few others would go. But the foundation of that was the Devil's Brigade.

I can just imagine that Nazi soldier who wrote that note, scared out of his wits when he called them the ``Black Devils,'' when they would go and put shoe polish on their faces so that they could be expertly disguised to go in and to help to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany.

So it is with great pleasure that I stand here to join my colleagues in urging unanimous passage of this extraordinary legislation to honor this extraordinary group of soldiers.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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