Memorial Day remarks by Ambassador Benson K. Whitney (May 25, 2009)
USS Porter, Oslo, May 25, 2009
"Congressman Tanner, veterans, distinguished guests:
Our gathering today and the ongoing NATO Parliamentary Assembly symbolize two of the powerful forces which link our two nations, namely democracy and security. The celebration of the democratic process represented by our Parliaments is enhanced by our joint commitment to each others’ security.
Of course today is also another particularly special occasion for the Americans in the audience, Memorial Day. It is on this day that we pause to consider the price that has been paid by our Armed Forces members who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and democracy.
Over our country’s short history, more than a million service men and women have died to preserve our liberty and the liberty of our allies.
During my three years as Ambassador here, I have been privileged to hear many stories illustrating the close bonds between our two countries. Two of my favorites are the stories of Captain Losey, and that of the gallant men of the 99th Infantry Battalion .
U.S. Army Captain Robert M. Losey has the distinction of being the first American military casualty in World War II. Capt. Losey was on a volunteer mission to help evacuate a missing group of women and children from the American embassy who were fleeing the advancing German troops.
Captain Losey took the Ambassador’s car and draped it with a large American flag in the hope the Germans might spare the vehicle of still neutral Americans. He swiftly drove back west through the still frozen mountains from Sweden, eventually loading the car on a train to speed his passage.
On Sunday, April 21st, 1940 Losey’s flag-draped car arrived at the rail center of Dombås. German bombers appeared threateningly overhead, the train slowed and stopped, and the passengers ran into a nearby tunnel. Swooping down, the German bombers dropped their deadly payload. Captain Losey, too, had headed into the tunnel, but as a trained air officer doing his duty, he lingered about 30 feet from the tunnel mouth making observations. A bomb suddenly exploded nearby, showering fragments into the tunnel. One piece found its deadly mark, hitting Captain Losey directly in the heart.
Capt. Losey was the first, but many others followed. Among our fallen World War II heroes were 52 men belonging to the 99th Infantry Battalion, a US battalion comprised completely of Norwegian-Americans.
In the early spring of 1945, 20 members of the 99th parachuted north of Namsos, where they worked until the end of the war keeping German troops from leaving Norway to reinforce the defense of their homeland. They were led by a young Major William Colby, who later went on to become the Director of US Central Intelligence Agency.
The remainder of the 99th fought valiantly, in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany, and at the end of the war, deployed to Oslo to assist in repatriating the 300,000 German soldiers who surrendered in Norway.
I think it is fitting to remember not only what the 52 fallen men of the 99th did, but also who they were. These brave soldiers were Americans but they were never “just Americans.” They carried proud Norwegian names - Paulsen, Johansen, Iversen, Eliasen, Oistad. Norwegian and American, men who died for our freedom and the freedom of others. For that we owe them this day.
On this day of memory, we, the living beneficiaries of Captain Losey’s and the 99th Infrantry battalion’s sacrifices, must ask what we owe in their memory, and in the memory of the hundreds of thousands before and after who have given their lives and their futures for us.
We honor their memory by never forgetting to teach that, in a world where evil still exists, freedom is worth fighting for. That measure of life is not length or possessions, but service for humanity that leads to justice and peace.
I want to thank all of you – Americans, our Norwegian friends, and the representatives of our many other friends and allies, for being here to help commemorate our honored war dead and to celebrate our shared commitment to defend the values which bind our nations together.
I ask now that you join me in a moment of silence to honor the memory of the fallen."