[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S9953]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

  Mr. REID. Madam President, today, this afternoon, here in the Senate, 
I stand, for lack of a better description, with a sad heart. I am 
sorrowful.
  Almost every day we see news reports about casualties sustained by 
our brave men and women in Iraq. In the last 2 days we have lost five 
soldiers. These reports are always troubling, but when they involve 
another young person from my State, they really hit home.
  Josh Byers of Sparks, NV, was the kind of young man any of us would 
be proud to call son. He graduated from Reed High School in Sparks/
Reno, NV. Kids come from both Sparks and Reno to go to Reed High 
School.
  For many years, the Nevada congressional delegation has been holding 
an event that was first started by Senator Hecht, who was a Senator 
from Nevada. And this Senator--we started holding what we call Academy 
Night where we have a meeting in Reno and one in Las Vegas. We bring 
young men and young women from Nevada who are now in the academies back 
to Nevada. We have music, and we have presentations made by all the 
academies, including the Merchant Marine Academy, about what there is 
at the academies for these high school students.
  They draw large crowds. Hundreds and hundreds of people come to these 
events in Reno and Las Vegas. And now Senator Hecht and I don't do it 
alone; now the entire congressional delegation joins us: Senator Ensign 
and I, Congressman Gibbons, Congressman Porter, and Congresswoman 
Berkley. These are wonderful occasions.
  Josh Byers of Sparks, NV, came more than 1 year. He loved Academy 
Night. He wanted to go to one of our military academies. He worked 
hard. He was student body president at Reed High School. He was 
nominated to the Naval Academy by me. He was nominated to the U.S. 
Military Academy at West Point by Senator Bryan.
  Josh's best friend, Beau Elsfelder, in being interviewed by the press 
last night, referred to Josh as ``The Man.'' That is how he referred to 
him. He was an A student. As I indicated, he was president of the 
student body. They had a military cadet unit there. He was the leader 
of that unit.
  He always told his friends he wanted to be an officer in the Army or 
the Navy. The entire Nevada delegation was supportive of this dream.
  As I indicated, I nominated him to the Naval Academy. Senator Bryan 
nominated him to West Point where he graduated. He went on to become a 
company commander in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. This past April 
he was shipped off to Iraq to defend our country and our interests in 
that part of the world. A little more than 24 hours ago he was riding 
in a vehicle. Two men hiding beside the road triggered an explosive 
device, killing him and injuring seven other comrades of Josh's.
  Tragically, Josh's mother, on this same date he was killed, was 
observing her birthday. But mothers, as they are, seem to know. Even 
before the tragic news about her son she had worried about him a lot, 
was extremely worried this day. His parents are wonderful people. His 
father came to Nevada to set up a church. They left northern Nevada and 
went back to South Carolina to set up a church. His parents just 
arrived back in this country on the day he was killed, coming back from 
Guam where they are missionaries.
  To show you the outstanding young man Josh was, you only need to look 
at what his high school counselor Bob White said. He said:

       He's the second one we have lost in Iraq.

  White, who kept a picture of Josh on his office bulletin board, 
remembered his second day on the job at Reed High School as a new 
counselor, during the 1990-91 school year when he met a junior who 
wanted to attend a military academy. It was Josh Byers. White said:

       He came into the office and introduced himself. He said, 
     ``My goal is to go to an academy. I'm a junior. I need your 
     help.''

  White said Josh Byers, as a senior, was accepted into all three major 
military academies, Army, Navy, and Air Force. I don't know who 
nominated him to the Air Force. Back then it could have been Senator 
Ensign when he was in the House. I really don't know who it was. We 
know who nominated him to the Army and Navy.
  White said Josh Byers selected West Point because he thought its 
rules of conduct were the strictest. White said:

       He said, ``Even though I want to go into the Navy, I'm 
     going into the Army. Their honor code is better.''

  Before he left to go to Iraq and after he was there, Josh tried to 
comfort his mother by telling her the worst fighting was over and it 
would be finished by the time he got to Iraq. But as she learned, as we 
learn almost every day from the news, the worst is not over. In fact, 
Josh kept saying:

       Mom, the worst will be over when I get there. We will be 
     doing peacekeeping, setting up the government and providing 
     aid to the people of Iraq.

  Our young men and women in Iraq are still dying almost every day. My 
office spoke to Mrs. Byers today. I called and the phone was tied up. I 
was not able to do that. I wanted to give these remarks prior to the 
Senate recessing. I left a message for the parents saying I was going 
to give a speech on the Senate floor today. There is nothing I can do, 
that we can do, to erase the loss of the parents, but the one thing we 
can do is never forget the sacrifice made by Josh Byers. I know 
everyone in the Senate family, whether it is our Chaplain or the 
individual Senators, offers our condolences for Josh's widow, his 
parents, and the entire family.
  I know we all join in hoping for the safe return of the other 150,000 
men and women from America who serve in Iraq today. We wish their safe 
return, and offer our condolences once again to the Byers family.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.

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