[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 79 (Tuesday, June 21, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                TRIBUTE TO MAJ. MARIE THERESE ROSSI, USA

  Mr. BRADLEY. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to the memory of a 
brave and dedicated American, Maj. Marie Therese Rossi. Article I of 
the Code of Conduct for members of the Armed Forces reads as follows: 
``I am an American fighting in the forces which guard my country and 
our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.'' No 
one more than Maj. Marie Therese Rossi understood what those words 
meant and all that they symbolize.
  On March 1, 1991, Major Rossi, one of the first females to fly in the 
Persian Gulf war, was killed when her CH-177 transport helicopter 
crashed into an unlit Saudi Arabian microwave tower. Throughout her 
military career, Major Rossi had prepared for the time when her country 
would call upon her to make the ultimate sacrifice for the welfare of 
our Nation. Shortly before her fatal mission, she was interviewed by 
CNN on the perils of her mission. She simply replied, ``This is the 
moment that everybody trains for * * * that I've trained for, so I feel 
ready to meet the challenge.'' With such a selfless attitude, she did, 
and her exemplary commitment to the United States of America and its 
people is to be commended.
  Marie was born on January 3, 1959, to Paul J. and Gertrude Nolan 
Rossi in Teaneck, NJ. She was well known throughout her community for 
the compassion and love she gave to animals as a member of 4-H while 
she was a youth. To her troops, she displayed an unparalleled sense of 
caring which made them marvel at her impeccable qualities of character 
and integrity. As a leader, Major Rossi was demanding but not 
demeaning; she made it a point to lead by example.
  After her commissioning through ROTC, she served at Fort Bliss, TX, 
as a battery executive officer, battalion adjutant, and commander of 
the reception station processing battery. From there, then-Captain 
Rossi graduated on the commandant's list from officer rotary wing 
aviators course in 1986. She was then assigned to the 213th Combat 
Aviation Company in South Korea, fully qualified in the CH-47 
helicopter.
  In June 1990, she was promoted to major and assigned as commander of 
B Company 2d Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield. 
On September 19, 1990, she deployed with her unit to Dhahran, Saudi 
Arabia.
  Major Rossi was married less than a year to fellow soldier CWO 
Anderson Cayton. At her memorial service at Arlington National 
Cemetery, where she was buried with full military honors, he stated, 
``The Lord has given this country a hero. He has taken my Marie and the 
love we had for each other and given it to the hearts of this 
country.''
  Maj. Marie Therese Rossi, a military professional, loving wife, and 
proud servicewoman, will be remembered not only for the contributions 
she has made to protect freedom and preserve liberty, but also for the 
exemplary way she lived her life as a true American. Her service 
reflects great credit upon herself, her unit, the U.S. Air Force, and 
the United States of America.

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