[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 15 (Monday, February 9, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES: PRIVATE DWAYNE TURNER, 101ST AIRBORNE 
                          DIVISION, U.S. ARMY

  Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the heroic service of 
Pvt Dwayne Turner, 23, a combat medic in the United States Army, from 
Indianapolis, IN. Private Turner is a member of the U.S. Army's 3rd 
Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, which came 
under grenade and small arms attack in Baghdad, Iraq on April 13, 2003.
  According to U.S. Army Sgt Neil Mulvaney, the convoy was under a 
heavy amount of fire from Iraqi resistance forces. During the attack, a 
grenade struck the Humvee in which Private Turner was riding, seriously 
injuring both his legs with shards of shrapnel. Ignoring his injuries, 
Private Turner bravely fulfilled his duty as a combat medic, selflessly 
putting the lives and comfort of others before his own. While treating 
18 other soldiers' injuries, Private Turner was shot in the arm and leg 
before Sergeant Mulvaney had to physically restrain him to administer 
medical treatment for Private Turner's increasingly severe injuries.
  When asked by the Associated Press to reflect upon the events of the 
attack, Private Turner humbly said, ``I don't consider myself a hero at 
all. I just figured everybody was going to go home and nobody was going 
to die on my watch.'' However, BG Frank Hemlock's description of 
Private Turner's actions seems much more fitting: ``He is a bona fide 
hero. He saved two lives without question and patched up 16 other 
lives.''
  In honor of the lives he saved through his unhesitating valor, 
Private Turner has been awarded the Silver Star, an award earned by 
nothing less than true sacrifice. May this award stand as a reminder to 
Private Turner that neither his comrades nor their grateful loved ones 
will soon forget his heroic actions.
  As I reflect on Private Turner's service, I am reminded of a quote by 
Douglas MacArthur: ``The soldier, above all other people prays for 
peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of 
war.'' The United States will be eternally grateful for the courage and 
bravery Private Turner exhibited on the field of battle.
  I know that all Hoosiers share my deep sense of pride in Private 
Turner and all of the men and women of our Armed Forces from Indiana 
who safeguard our country's freedom. My thoughts and prayers are with 
him as he continues his recovery and begins to make his new goal to 
become a civilian physician a reality.

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