[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 9, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E331-E332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR AND IN MEMORY OF SPECIALIST CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR OF DAPHNE, 
                                ALABAMA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 9, 2004

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a young 
man from the First Congressional District of Alabama who recently made 
the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of freedom abroad.
  Specialist Christopher Taylor, a native of Kentwood, Louisiana, and 
longtime resident of Daphne, Alabama, was assigned to the 1165th 
Alabama National Guard Military Police Company based in Fairhope. Last 
year, Christopher's unit was activated and deployed to Iraq following 
the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was there that on February 16, 
2004

[[Page E332]]

he was killed when he was hit by shrapnel from an explosive placed 
along a road on which he and other members of his unit were traveling.
  Christopher set a standard of excellence and displayed the qualities 
of discipline, devotion, and dedication to country that are hallmarks 
of men and women throughout the long and distinguished history of the 
American military. As a result of his hard work, Christopher was 
advanced to the rank of Specialist, and he was posthumously awarded the 
Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
  Mr. Speaker, as you can imagine both Daphne and his native Kentwood 
are truly mourning the loss of this fine young man. I feel certain his 
many friends in Baldwin County, his coworkers at Golden Stevedoring in 
Mobile, and his family and friends in Louisiana, while mourning his 
loss, are also taking this opportunity to remember his many 
accomplishments during his brief 25 years, and to recall the fine gift 
they each received simply from knowing him and having him as an 
integral part of their lives.
  I urge my colleagues to take a moment and pay tribute to Specialist 
Christopher Taylor and his selfless devotion to not only our country 
and the freedoms we enjoy, but to a people who are but now in the 
infancy of a new life--a new freedom--in their own land.
  We should also remember his parents, Michael and Priscilla Taylor; 
his brothers David and Nathan; his maternal grandparents, Gerald and 
Betty Starling; and his paternal grandfather, Ernest Taylor. Our prayer 
is that God will give them all the strength and courage that only He 
can provide to sustain them during the difficult days ahead.
  It was Joseph Campbell who said, ``A hero is someone who has given 
his or her life to something bigger than oneself.'' Make no mistake, 
young Christopher Taylor was not only a dedicated soldier who made the 
ultimate sacrifice serving in the uniform of his country, but he was 
also a true American hero.

                          ____________________