III

104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 59

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should award a

Medal of Honor to Wayne T. Alderson in recognition of acts performed

at the risk of his life and beyond the call of duty while serving in

the United States Army during World War II.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MAY 16, 1996

Mr. SANTORUM (for himself, Mr. SPECTER, Mr. DOLE, Mr. CRAIG, Mr.

HELMS, and Mr. THURMOND) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President

should award a Medal of Honor to Wayne T. Alderson

in recognition of acts performed at the risk of his life

and beyond the call of duty while serving in the United

States Army during World War II.

Whereas Wayne T. Alderson served as a private first class in

the United States Army in Germany during World War

II;

Whereas, during the Rhineland Campaign of such war, which

was 4 days of close, fierce combat from March 15 to

March 18, 1945, Private First Class Alderson singlehandedly killed 43 enemy soldiers;
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SCON 59 IS

Whereas, according to The History of the Third Infantry Division, Private First Class Alderson was the first soldier

from the United States to cross into Germany on March

15, 1945;

Whereas, on March 15, 1945, Company B of the 7th Infantry Regiment, led by Private First Class Alderson,

crossed into Germany 1 mile south of Utweiler to surprise the enemy troops and advanced through heavy,

armed resistance, machinegun crossfire, and a German

minefield;

Whereas, during such advancement, Private First Class

Alderson spotted and bypassed a German bunker and

machinegun nest and entered into a close firefight, killing

6 enemy soldiers;

Whereas, when a second enemy machinegun impeded such

advancement, Private First Class Alderson volunteered to

advance alone, forged a stream, and waged a singlehanded assault on the German machinegun crew, killing

all 5 of the crew as Second Lieutenant Barbour and Private First Class Preston, along with the other soldiers of

Company B, arrived to force the German enemy soldiers

to withdraw;

Whereas Company B continued to advance toward the town

of Erching, where Private First Class Alderson killed 2

enemy snipers who were impeding the advance, and the

town was captured as the enemy troops retreated;

Whereas Second Lieutenant Barbour and Lieutenant Colonel

Wallace stated that they intended to recommend Private

First Class Alderson for high military decoration;

Whereas, on March 16 and 17, 1945, as Company B continued to attack and advance toward the Siegfried Line,
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SCON 59 IS

Private First Class Alderson killed 4 enemy soldiers in

close house-to-house fighting, captured 3 German prisoners, and led the prisoners, at great risk to himself, past

enemy positions to the headquarters of Company B,

where vital information concerning the defenses of the

Siegfried Line was obtained from the prisoners;

Whereas, on March 18, 1945, Private First Class Alderson

led Company B into its fourth consecutive day of battle

at the Siegfried Line but then was cut off from the company;

Whereas, after Private First Class Alderson was cut off from

Company B, he was unable to find safe cover and

charged forward, killing 6 enemy soldiers in a close firefight, then attacked the main entrance of a German

trench, killing 4 enemy defenders before capturing the

front end of the trench;

Whereas, when the remnant of Company B, which was in the

front portion of the trench under the command of Captain James Rich and without radio contact, was about to

be overrun by a German counterattack, Private First

Class Alderson again volunteered to be first scout;

Whereas Private First Class Alderson immediately killed 4

advancing enemy soldiers in bitter combat as he moved

down the trench and engaged a large German force that

was advancing in an adjoining and interlocking trench;

Whereas Private First Class Alderson, who was fully exposed

and vastly outnumbered, charged the enemy forces and

entered into a fierce firefight with them at close range,

killing 12 enemy soldiers as the German counterattack

was repelled and the enemy forces withdrew;
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SCON 59 IS

Whereas, in such action, Private First Class Alderson received a serious head wound from shrapnel when a German grenade landed at his feet and exploded in his face;

Whereas the life of Private First Class Alderson was saved

by the valorous actions of Private First Class Preston,

who covered the body of Private First Class Alderson

with his own body and was fatally wounded in the head

by the bullet of a sniper;

Whereas Private First Class Alderson, while he fought to remain conscious, crawled back along the trench to brief

Captain Rich on the events that had occurred in the

other end of the trench;

Whereas Captain Rich stated his intention to recommend to

Colonel Heintges, the commander of the 7th Infantry

Regiment, that Private First Class Alderson receive a

Medal of Honor;

Whereas such recommendation has been verified by independent affidavit; and

Whereas Private First Class Alderson has been waiting for

more than 47 years to receive the Medal of Honor for

which he was recommended and which he so richly deserves: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that the President should award a Medal of Honor to Wayne T. Alderson

in recognition of acts performed at the risk of his life and

beyond the call of duty while serving as a private first class

in the United States Army in Germany during World War II.

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