[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IRAQ'S WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOBBY L. RUSH

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 25, 2003

  Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, on April 8, 2003, the Congressional Liaison 
Office of the United States Marine Corps, came to my office to notify 
me of the death of First Sergeant Edward Smith, age 38, who was killed 
in the line of duty while participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom. On 
April 4, 2003, 1st Sgt. Smith was shot in the head while engaging with 
enemy forces in Iraq. He died on April 5, 2003 in Doha, Qatar as a 
result of his wounds.
  My colleagues, Sgt. Edward Smith was not only a soldier, but a 
father, husband and son. According to the Defense Department, Smith was 
the ninth soldier from the Illinois area to die in Iraq. Sergeant 
Smith, a career soldier, was nearing the end of a 20-year military 
career and was anticipating retirement when he sustained his fatal 
wound. Born and raised in Chicago, Edward Smith graduated from CVS High 
School, moved to Anaheim, California in the 1980s, where he married and 
raised a family. He leaves behind a wife and two sons in California and 
a mom and dad and friends in the Chicago area. All of our thoughts and 
prayers are with Sergeant Smith's family.
  Mr. Speaker, as this House begins a month-long district work period, 
we are still waiting for the answer to the question: Where are the 
weapons of mass destruction? Where are the weapons for which 1st 
Sergeant Edward Smith, and so many others, gave their lives?
  With each passing day, the American people and I, continue to wait.

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