[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 153 (Tuesday, October 28, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  A TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF SPC. DONALD LAVERNE WHEELER, JR. OF CONCORD, 
                                MICHIGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. NICK SMITH

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 28, 2003

  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a soldier 
from my neighborhood who was killed in Iraq. He was at his core a true 
American patriot. Spc. Donald Laverne Wheeler, Jr., DJ, as he was known 
to his friends, made the ultimate sacrifice for this country at age 22 
years.
  DJ was killed in Tikrit, Iraq on October 13, 2003 when his armored 
vehicle, on which he was the gunner, was attacked with a rocket-
propelled grenade. Wheeler was searching for a possible improvised 
explosive device when his unit came under attack.
  DJ joined the Army in November 2001, just after the 9/11 attacks, and 
said he wanted to fight against the evil. He felt it was his duty as an 
American. He was assigned to the U.S. Army's A Company, 1st Battalion, 
22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, TX, and was 
sent to Iraq in March 2003.
  His family has a history of military service. He is named after his 
uncle killed in the Korean War. His grandfather, one of his 
inspirations, was a World War II veteran.
  DJ graduated from Lumen Christi High School in Jackson in 1999 where 
he was an offensive lineman on the team that made the regional finals. 
His coach described him as a good, solid, hardworking kid. More than 
this, however, DJ's spirit would fill any room he was in. He was 
nicknamed ``Sunshine'' by one of sergeants because he towered over his 
friends and was always smiling. Those who knew him recalled his sense 
of humor, his ability to make you laugh, and his generous spirit. While 
in Iraq he frequently wrote home asking for dollar bills and candy to 
hand out to Iraqi children.
  What is so admirable about this individual is his dedication and the 
support from his family in Concord, MI. They deserve to be honored as 
much as he. DJ's parents, Donald and Mary Catherine Wheeler, fully 
support the actions in Iraq and the President. Even when tragedy 
touched their own lives and the lives of DJ's three sisters and eight 
brothers, this family calls on us to finish the work in Iraq that DJ 
helped begin.
  Words cannot express the gratitude of a country. I honor this man 
today, and his family, for the great irreplaceable gift they have given 
our country, our ideals and our freedom.

                          ____________________