[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 155 (Thursday, October 30, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO LT. COL. STEPHEN TWITTY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 30, 2003

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lt. Col. Stephen 
Twitty, who led the only infantry battalion--1,000 soldiers strong--in 
the initial attack on Baghdad, Iraq, this past April. His 15th Infantry 
Regiment of the 3rd Battalion was fearless in the face of the heaviest 
fighting of the campaign and successfully completed their mission.
  Lt. Col. Twitty witnessed casualties among his troops, and continued 
to lead his soldiers through the perils of suicide bombers, snipers, 
rocket-propelled grenades and a variety of other dangerous assaults. 
Later he had to keep his troops focused on their mission after the 
death of NBC reporter David Bloom, who was embedded with his regiment. 
He faced many potentially fatal situations by being on the frontline of 
American servicemen. As a result of his gallantry, he received the U.S. 
Army's third highest medal, the Silver Star, and is most likely on his 
way to becoming a colonel.
  Lt. Col. Twitty is a native of Chesnee, SC, and graduated with a 
bachelor's degree in criminal justice from South Carolina State 
University in Orangeburg, my alma mater, where he will serve as a grand 
marshal of this year's Homecoming Parade. He is in good company among 
the military ranks of SCSU graduates. The University currently has four 
alumni who are generals on active duty, one of whom was just named 
Commanding Officer of Fort Jackson.
  Lt. Col. Twitty later received a master's in public administration 
from Central Michigan University. He has been stationed in both Belgium 
and Germany but now resides in Fort Stewart, GA.
  This tour of duty isn't Lt. Col. Twitty's first time in combat. He is 
a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, in which he was a member of the 
first infantry division to cross the Kuwait-Iraq border into enemy 
territory. He has also received decorations like the Legion of Merit 
and Bronze Star for his service to his nation in the most trying of 
situations. His interests in the military date back to his experiences 
in South Carolina State's Reserve Officer Training Corps. He now has 
aspirations to attend the Army War College next year.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in commending Lt. 
Col. Stephen Twitty for his extraordinary dedication and his exemplary 
military service. He is an inspiration to the soldiers he commands and 
the next generation of soldiers to follow.

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