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Congress awards gold medal to First Special Service Force

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, presents Eugene Gutierrez, Jr., center, and Charles Mann, right, with the Congressional Gold Medal for members of the First Special Service Force whose fearlessness and bravery contributed to the liberation of Europe and end to World War II during a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, presents Eugene Gutierrez, Jr., center, and Charles Mann, right, with the Congressional Gold Medal for members of the First Special Service Force whose fearlessness and bravery contributed to the liberation of Europe and end to World War II during a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

By Associated Press February 3, 2015 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress has awarded the congressional gold medal to the First Special Service Force, an elite strike force of U.S. and Canadian soldiers that conducted covert operations to help liberate France and Italy during World War II.

The top-secret unit was nicknamed the Devil’s Brigade for its practice of wearing black boot polish on their faces during nighttime raids that featured mountain climbing, amphibious landings and parachute jumps.

The 1,800-member Devil’s Brigade played a key role in the 1944 liberation of Rome from German forces. The Montana-based unit included 900 men each from Canada and the United States, and representatives of both countries participated in a ceremony Tuesday awarding the gold medal to surviving members.

A tearful House Speaker John Boehner said: “These men saved the free world.”