The Congressman's staffer, unfamiliar with the history and geography, misinterpreted my suggestion that the statement be issued on April 9 in conjunction with National Former POW Recognition Day and the anniversary of the fall of Bataan. I told him that the soldiers of Company A of the 194th Provisional Tank Battalion who fought on the Bataan Peninsula and who also became POWs of Japan were from Brainerd, which is in his boss's district.
It turned out that the staffer put aside the statement for months and did not have me review the draft. The result was an insertion for the Congressional Record on July 10 that had Seaman Hanley surviving both the sinking of the USS Houston and the Bataan Death March a month later, 2,000 miles away. As you cannot delete a insertion for the record, a new, corrected statement was issued on July 15, 2025. It is below.
This account is not to embarrass either the congressman or the staffer. It is only to illustrate how much isnow forgotten. With the U.S. military returning to the Pacific, often to many of the places the U.S. fought and built temporary bases, it is even more important to remember this history and these places on the map. To honor the American POWs and the veterans of the Pacific War is to learn the lesson of the men left behind on the Philippines, Wake, Guam, and the Sunda Strait. We need to be prepared.
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E672] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ROBERT L. "BOB" HANLEY ______ HON. PETE STAUBER of minnesota in the house of representatives Tuesday, July 15, 2025 Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of Seaman Second Class Robert L. ``Bob'' Hanley, the last living survivor of the sinking of the USS Houston (CA-30) in the Sunda Strait off the coast of Java on February 29, 1942, ending the storied U.S. Asiatic Fleet.
As one of only 368 of the ship's complement of 1,060 to survive this sea battle, he showcased American grit, tenacity, and commitment in the fight against fascism and tyranny. He endured multiple POW camps, ``hell ships'' to Singapore and Burma, and slave labor on the infamous Thai-Burma Death Railway.
His nearly four years of as a POW of Japan were marked by starvation, torture, and beatings. As a POW medical orderly, he labored without medicines and supplies to save the lives of his fellow brutalized POWs. He, himself, survived bouts of dysentery, malaria, and pellagra. At liberation in August 1945, he was among just 291 remaining USS Houston (CA-30) survivors.
Bob's resilience never wavered, and his service did not end with his Navy discharge in 1947. He continued serving his country by enlisting in the U.S. Army for 15 years. After his military career, he worked in security at 3M for another 15 years, retiring in 1978 due to medical issues caused by his wartime imprisonment.
Throughout his life, Bob's deep faith as a devout member of the Catholic Church of Saint Peter in Forest Lake, Minnesota, guided him through the darkest times and brightest moments, serving as a cornerstone of his strength. On September 12, 2024, Seaman Second Class Robert L. Hanley passed away at 102 years old. May he rest in peace.
