[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 40 (Friday, March 26, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E451]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E451]]


    THE NATION JOINS FOSTER CITY IN MOURNNG THE LOSS OF ANDREW DANG

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 25, 2004

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, a favorite son of Foster City, California is 
being mourned today after losing his life in Iraq. Andrew Dang, a 
bright and capable and enthusiastic young man, was a U.S. Marine who 
had served two weeks overseas when tragedy struck. Our hearts go out to 
his family and friends, former teachers and classmates, and all who 
remember him in sorrow today. I ask unanimous consent to enter into the 
Record an editorial from the San Mateo Daily Journal.

                      The Horror of War Comes Home

                   [From the San Mateo Daily Journal]

       For many, the war in Iraq is dealt with in abstract terms. 
     Car bombs and fire fights are on the same level as images in 
     a historical text. Here in the Bay Area, the war in Iraq and 
     the war on terror mean there is longer lines at the airport 
     and more training for local police. We see it as a level on 
     the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System.
       It is removed from our reality despite its presence in 
     current events. Often, our only connection is a daily 
     dispatch from across the world.
       Even the names and faces of the casualties of war have yet 
     to be solidified in our collective consciousness. So far, 
     there have been 582 U.S. casualties since major conflict 
     began just over a year ago. Sixty-five of those deaths have 
     been Californians. The Peninsula has been spared--until now.
       Today, a Foster City family, the student body of Aragon 
     High School and the community at large mourns the loss of 
     Andrew Dang, a 20-year-old lance corporal for the U.S. Marine 
     Corps whose life was cut short in a gun battle during a 
     patrol near Ar Ramady, Iraq.
       The horror of war is now suddenly more real. Those that 
     knew Dang describe the Foster City resident as someone with 
     passion for science and technology who spent his free time 
     building robots and rockets. He was one of the founding 
     members of Aragon's renowned robotics team and by his senior 
     year, Dang was taking multiple advanced placement classes in 
     physics and chemistry.
       Dang was a bright, enthusiastic and popular young man who 
     sought out a career in the military to get technical 
     experience. It was his way of getting a college degree and 
     obtaining a career path.
       In doing so, he also made a decision to defend the United 
     States in its war on terror. His friends say he believed in 
     the cause he was fighting for. He was proud of his job.
       Whether you believe the war is justified or not, its local 
     impact can now be felt on very real terms. Too often, war is 
     politicized and processed into sound bites. But war--and its 
     casualties--is more than politics and candidates.
       Politics falls by the wayside when comprehending the loss 
     of such a promising young life. Dang put his life on the line 
     to protect what he believed in. In his heart he sought to 
     protect the United States from terror and he fought to give 
     the Iraqi people a taste of freedom. And he paid the ultimate 
     price for that belief.
       Our thoughts are with his family, friends and the community 
     that knew and loved him. Today, there is a hole in the heart 
     of the Peninsula.

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