[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 82 (Thursday, June 5, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7467-S7468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                OKLAHOMA LOSS IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, over the past few months, we've seen the 
fall of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime coupled with the dawning of a 
new day for the Iraqi people.
  With major military combat operations in Iraq over and the security 
of our homeland bolstered, America and her allies are turning our 
efforts toward helping the Iraqi people build a free society.
  Like many Americans, I was thrilled and heartened by the dramatic 
images of U.S. troops helping Iraqi citizens tear down statues and 
paintings of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi people needed our help, our 
tanks, our troops, and our commitment to topple Saddam Hussein.
  For the first time in their lives, many Iraqis are tasting freedom, 
and like people everywhere, they think it's wonderful. I'm proud of our 
military and America's commitment to make the people of the Middle East 
more free and secure.
  Our military men and women surely face more difficult days in Iraq, 
and the Iraqi people will be tested by the responsibilities that come 
with freedom. The thugs who propped up the previous regime and outside 
forces with goals of their own will seek to cause problems, stir up 
trouble and initiate violence. Freedom is messy--nowhere more so than 
in a country that has just shaken off a brutal dictatorship.

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  But the journey towards a domestic Iraq has now been embarked upon. 
Like so many nations before it, Iraq now endures the growing pains 
common to a fledgling democracy. The uncertainty of today's Iraq, I am 
hopeful, will soon give way to the promise of a better future for the 
Iraqi people. And as we move closer to this goal, we must remember 
those who sacrificed for this noble cause.
  Today, I rise to honor a man who made the ultimate sacrifice one can 
make for his country and the cause of freedom.
  Staff Sergeant Aaron Dean White, 27, died May 19 when the CH-46 
transport helicopter he was in crashed into a canal in central Iraq.
  White was an Oklahoma native. He grew up in Seminole County where he 
attended school until his junior year in high school. He then graduated 
from Shawnee High School in 1994 and immediately began his military 
career.
  If you ask his mother, she will tell you that he had a ``calling to 
serve people.'' That call to service was put to good use in our Armed 
Forces.
  White was trained in helicopter maintenance, but he could not get 
enough of flying. His pastor, Reverend Wesley Martin, explained his 
passion for flight: ``After he got his pilot's license, all he did was 
fly. He couldn't get enough of it. He loved to fly and he loved life.''
  As a result, he volunteered for the gunner position on the helicopter 
that crashed. ``What a flight that must have been,'' said Martin. ``No 
equipment necessary--as he flew immediately into the heavens.''
  As we watch the dawn of a new day in Iraq, let us never forget that 
the freedom we enjoy every day in America is bought at a price.
  Staff Sergeant White did not die in vain. He died so that many others 
could live in security and freedom. And for that sacrifice, we are 
forever indebted. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family 
today and with the troops who are putting their lives on the line in 
Iraq.
  I yield the floor.

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