[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 68 (Thursday, May 8, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5941-S5942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a great American, a 
great patriot, a courageous Airman, husband and father, LTC William 
Watkins III of Halifax County, VA.
  Lieutenant Colonel Watkins fought so that our families--all 
Americans--could lead our lives and freedoms in greater security. His 
mission was noble--and embodies the absolute greatest of the American 
ideas.
  Lieutenant Colonel Watkins' F-15 went down on April 7 near Tikrit, 
Iraq. His courageous actions contributed to the success of our 
mission--the prevention of the spread of weapons of mass destruction, 
and the permanent removal of the heavy boot of oppression from the 
throats of the Iraqi people.
  Lieutenant Colonel Watkins left his home and family to travel around 
the world to liberate an oppressed people--most whom he had never met. 
There was no personal benefit, there was no monetary reward.
  When Lieutenant Colonel Watkins was called to action, he knew the 
mission, the purpose and the goal was larger than one man. He answered 
his country's call with a simple, ``yes sir''--steady in his love for 
the cause of freedom.
  Shortly after Lieutenant Colonel Watkins death, The Danville Register 
and Bee, his hometown paper, aptly noted:

       We live in a safe, free and prosperous country because men 
     like Watkins have always been willing to sacrifice their 
     lives to protect the birthright of every American. It is a 
     sacrifice made on behalf of millions of people who don't have 
     to risk anything . . . Watkins' sacrifice on behalf of 
     freedom will help protect many lives in the future. The world 
     was better with Watkins in it, and it is safer because he was 
     willing to fight to make it that way.

  Truer words were never written.
  William Watkins was recently promoted to lieutenant colonel. A 
promotion well deserved. He graduated from the U.S. Naval academy in 
1989 and served as a flight officer in the Navy for 12 years. In 2001, 
he transferred to the Air Force to continue his service to his 
country--where he served as a weapons system officer. He loved this 
country.
  Serving our country wasn't something Lieutenant Colonel Watkins 
``did.'' It was something he lived. His wife, Major Melissa Watkins, 
continues to serve our country as an intelligence officer. And while we 
will never know

[[Page S5942]]

her and her children's loss or pain, we continue to hold them in prayer 
and support them in all ways possible.
  No tribute, no speech will replace Lieutenant Colonel Watkins. His 
children will grow up never knowing this truly great American. He will 
be missed. And, while it certainly does not fill the void left by his 
death, the greatest tribute to his life can be summed up by one act, 
one moment that will live in each of our memories forever.
  It is the moment that a free Iraqi people, liberated from the chains 
of oppression, gathered in central Baghdad, breathed their first 
breaths of freedom and tore down the statue of the vile, ruthless 
dictator Saddam Hussein.
  So, each time we see that footage of that historic event, each time 
we hear of the end of Saddam's ruthless, torturous regime, each time an 
Iraqi speaks their mind, we should, we must, remember the sacrifices of 
great, giving American servicemen and women like LTC William Watkins.
  May he rest in peace, knowing how grateful we are and that we will 
support his family.

                          ____________________