IV
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 20
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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 12, 1997
Mr. DOYLE submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on National Security
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 single-
handedly killed 43 enemy soldiers;
•HCON 20 IH
Whereas according to The History of the Third Infantry Di-
vision, 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 resist-
ance, machine gun crossfire, and a German mine field;
Whereas during such advancement, Private First Class
Alderson spotted and bypassed a German bunker and
machine gun nest and entered into a close fire fight, kill-
ing 6 enemy soldiers;
Whereas when a 2d enemy machine gun impeded such ad-
vancement, Private First Class Alderson volunteered to
advance alone, forged a stream, and waged a single-
handed assault on the German machine gun crew, killing
all 5 of the crew as Second Lieutenant Barbour and Pri-
vate 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 contin-
ued to attack and advance toward the Siegfried Line,
Private First Class Alderson killed 4 enemy soldiers in
•HCON 20 IH
close house-to-house fighting, captured 3 German pris-
oners, 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 4th 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 fire
fight, 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 Cap-
tain 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 fire fight with them at close range,
killing 12 enemy soldiers as the German counterattack
was repelled and the enemy forces withdrew;
Whereas in such action, Private First Class Alderson received
a serious head wound from shrapnel when a German gre-
nade landed at his feet and exploded in his face;
•HCON 20 IH
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 re-
main 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 independ-
ent 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 de-
serves: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
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 pri-
vate first class in the United States Army in Germany
during World War II.
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