Introduced in House

[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 42 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 42

Honoring the heroic service and sacrifice of the 6,500 glider pilots of
         the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 23, 2007

     Mrs. McCarthy of New York submitted the following concurrent
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Honoring the heroic service and sacrifice of the 6,500 glider pilots of
         the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.

Whereas the use of gliders during World War II provided an innovative method of
        transporting troops and equipment behind enemy lines;
Whereas the United States Army Air Forces began training glider pilots in 1942,
        eventually training approximately 6,500 men;
Whereas glider pilots exhibited exceptional valor by landing behind enemy lines
        in unarmed gliders;
Whereas glider pilots participated in 8 successful missions;
Whereas in Operation Husky, which took place in Sicily on July 9, 1943, glider
        pilots carried British airborne troops, completing their mission despite
        heavy casualties resulting from landings at sea;
Whereas in Operation Broadway, which took place in Burma on March 5, 1944,
        glider pilots took the Japanese completely by surprise; carried troops,
        airborne engineers, and equipment by night; seized and prepared landing
        strips for forthcoming transport planes; and evacuated the wounded,
        accomplishing in 2 hours what would have taken 2 months by ambulance;
Whereas in Operation Overlord, on June 6, 1944, glider pilots took part in the
        Battle of Normandy, the largest combined airborne and seaborne invasion
        in history, carrying troopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions
        and their equipment to landing areas behind enemy lines;
Whereas in Operation Dragoon, which took place in the coastal area of southern
        France on August 15, 1944, glider pilots delivered troops and cargo
        despite wooden poles erected in open fields to impede their landing;
Whereas in Operation Market-Garden, the largest glider operation of World War
        II, which took place in Holland on September 17, 1944, glider pilots
        carried their usual cargo of troops and heavy equipment, thereby
        providing cover for an attempt to clear a road to Berlin;
Whereas in Operation Repulse, which took place in Bastogne on December 27, 1944,
        as part of the Battle of the Bulge, glider pilots, although flying
        directly through enemy fire, were able to land every glider, delivering
        the badly needed ammunition, gasoline, and medical supplies that enabled
        defenders against the German offensive to persevere and secure the
        ultimate victory;
Whereas in Operation Varsity, which took place at the Rhine crossing in Wesel,
        Germany, on March 24, 1945, more than 1,300 glider pilots took part in
        their final European mission, delivering a fatal blow to Axis forces;
Whereas in Operation Gypsy Task Force-Appari Mission, which took place in the
        Philippine island of Luzon on June 23, 1945, glider pilots took part in
        their final, and only Pacific, mission, carrying members of the 11th
        Airborne Division; and
Whereas many glider pilots sacrificed their lives during the course of these
        missions: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
            (1) honors the heroic service and sacrifice of the 6,500
        glider pilots of the United States Army Air Forces during World
        War II; and
            (2) urges the people of the Nation to remember and teach
        future generations about the contributions and sacrifices that
        glider pilots, and all veterans, have made to and for the
        Nation.
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