[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 121 (Friday, September 5, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO STAFF SGT. MARK LAWTON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 4, 2003

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I stand 
before this body of Congress and this nation to pay tribute to the life 
of a brave citizen from my district. Army Staff Sergeant Mark Lawton of 
Hayden, Colorado was taken from us while serving his country in Iraq. 
His sacrifice for this grateful nation will not be forgotten. I am 
truly humbled to honor him here before you today.
  As a young man, Mark was an excellent athlete and ran track for 
Moffat County High School. Prior to his service with the Army Reserves, 
Mark spent 14 years in the Marine Corps, serving in the first Gulf War. 
In his civilian life, Mark worked for a local coal company as a heavy 
equipment operator. Most importantly, he was a family man who leaves 
behind a wife and two sons. While his family's feelings of loss and 
sorrow are deep, they can take solace in the fact that Mark died in the 
service of the people and ideals of our nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot fully express my deep sense of gratitude for 
Mark's sacrifice and that of his family. Staff Sergeant Lawton 
displayed the strength of character and loyalty to his country that 
makes America and its citizens great. Throughout our history, men and 
women in uniform have fought for our freedom with distinction and 
courage. At the dawn of this new century, the United States military 
has once again been called upon to defend our freedom against a new and 
emerging threat. Mark has done all Americans proud, and I know he has 
the respect and admiration of all of my colleagues here today. He will 
be truly missed.

                          ____________________