[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN MEMORY OF U.S. ARMY SPECIALIST REL ALLEN RAVAGO IV

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 8, 2003

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of my 
constituent, United States Army Specialist Rel Allen Ravago IV of the 
1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade of the 101st 
Airborne Division, who was killed in action on November 23, 2003 in 
Mosul, Iraq when hostile forces attacked his Army vehicle.
  After graduating from Hoover High School in Glendale, Specialist 
Ravago soon joined the United States Army and was deployed to Iraq in 
May 2003. He was due to return home next March at the end of his four-
year tenure in the Army. From all accounts, he was a dedicated and 
enthusiastic soldier who served our country with courage and 
distinction.
  A talented artist and honorable soldier, Specialist Ravago's family, 
friends and fellow servicemen have spoken with admiration and 
veneration of his commitment to duty, his dedication to his unit and 
his love of country and family.
  Students at Hoover High recently erected a patriotic memorial of red, 
white and blue carnations mixed with American flags, containing a 
short, but poignant message attached: ``You'll be missed.''
  Friends, family and loved ones remember Ravago as a popular student 
who played in Hoover High's drum corps and studied martial arts. His 
former teachers describe him as ``radiating joy and a love of life'' 
with a ``smile that you could see from miles away.''
  I recently had the opportunity to meet with Specialist Ravago's 
parents and grandfather following his death. They told me how proud 
they were of their son and grandson, how proud he was to serve his 
country and how much they would always miss him. Our nation owes his 
family a debt we can never repay and Specialist Ravago will never be 
far from our thoughts. His sacrifice and those of other soldiers who 
have fallen on the field of battle have kept our nation free.
  On behalf of the United States Congress, I wish to once again, bestow 
our most heartfelt appreciation for Army Specialist Rel Allen Ravago's 
service and sacrifice for the United States of America. To his family 
and loved ones: your son, your brother, your grandson, your nephew, 
your cousin and your friend, served our country with honor and nobility 
and he will be missed.

                          ____________________