[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 1, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO SERGEANT ORLANDO MORALES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ANIBAL ACEVEDO-VILA

                             of puerto rico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 1, 2003

  Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA. Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to Sergeant 
Orlando Morales, a soldier who served in Special Operations in 
Afghanistan, and who died after being wounded in an ambush on Saturday 
in Geresk, Afghanistan, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Sergeant 
Morales' Special Operations Battalion took on hostile fire during a 
reconnaissance mission. The United States and Puerto Rico lost a true 
patriot in Sergeant Orlando Morales. While I did not personally know 
this man, there are thousands of dedicated soldiers like him active in 
the armed services from Puerto Rico. My thoughts and prayers are with 
his family and loved ones, and with our troops in the Middle East. I am 
here today to recognize Sergeant Morales and his ultimate sacrifice to 
the United States and to Puerto Rico. I want to also take this 
opportunity to let my colleagues know that Puerto Ricans today, as 
throughout our history with the U.S., remain in steadfast commitment to 
our armed services.
  I ask all my colleagues to respect the commitment of the Puerto Rican 
soldier. We must forever recognize the tens of thousands like Sergeant 
Morales who have died or have been wounded in combat. During the Korean 
War, General Douglass MacArthur said of the forces of the much-heralded 
65th Infantry, the fighting Borinqueneers from Puerto Rico, ``They are 
writing a brilliant record of achievement in battle and I am proud 
indeed to have them in this command. I wish that we might have many 
more like them.'' There are thousands more like them today, as Puerto 
Rico has undergone the greatest mobilization of reservists and National 
Guardsmen since Korea.
  I ask my colleagues to honor the soldiers like Sergeant Morales and 
to recognize the ongoing Puerto Rican commitment to the United States 
Military.

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