[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 62 (Thursday, May 6, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H2704]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE GREATEST GENERATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, I have a special honor. I get to 
present the World War II medals that my uncle earned in the war to him. 
He is what Tom Brokaw has called part of the Greatest Generation. In 
fact, last week we opened the World War II Memorial, with a formal 
ceremony coming Memorial Day weekend.
  Since we are in a challenging world environment, many people are 
saying today that we are seeing the next Greatest Generation.

                              {time}  1600

  The services are reporting that they are meeting their recruiting 
goals. Imagine that. In an environment where we are at war, soldiers 
are dying, recruitment levels are being met. Truly, we are seeing a 
revival of patriotism and, very possibly, another ``greatest 
generation.''
  However, that is not without cost, and today I am here to mention 
five individuals from my district who have lost their lives in service 
to their country, not all in Iraq, as we will come to see.
  Each of these people gave their lives in pursuit of freedom and 
democracy. They should be recognized for their sacrifices.
  Corporal Foster Jostes was a 21-year-old from Albion, Illinois who 
served as an Army Corporal in the 1st Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division 
from Fort Hood, Texas. He was a 2000 graduate of Edwards County High 
School, after which he joined the National Guard at age 17. He had only 
been in Iraq for about a week when military personnel say his Humvee 
was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing Jostes and the driver, 
in a suburb of Baghdad.
  Lance Corporal Torrey Stoffel-Gray was a 19-year-old Marine from 
Patoka, Illinois. Patoka is a rural town in my district with around 630 
people. At 16, Lance Corporal Stoffel-Gray left Patoka to enter Lincoln 
Challenge, a military-style alternative school at Rantoul, Illinois. 
Many friends and family say that Lincoln Challenge changed his life and 
helped him find his way. This young man was recently killed in action 
in Iraq when his convoy was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade and 
gunfire in the Al Anbar Province.
  Gary Weston was a 52-year-old from Vienna, Illinois. He was employed 
by DynCorp International, serving with the United Nations as 
international police officers. He and other officers were fired upon by 
a Jordanian police officer for unknown reasons. Two fellow workers were 
killed in the resulting fire fight. Gary was flown to a hospital after 
receiving several gunshot wounds. He later died from complications from 
the gunshot wounds. His wife Nina Weston was there by her husband's 
side.
  Kim Bigley was a 47-year-old who lived most of her life in southern 
and Southwestern Illinois. She was an employee of DynCorp 
International, which was serving with the United Nations as an 
international police officer and was a former warden at the Shawnee 
Correctional Center. She had just completed her first day of job 
orientation when she was killed. Along with Mr. Weston, Kim was fired 
upon by a Jordanian police officer for unknown reasons and was killed 
as a result of the fire fight.
  Captain John Tipton was a 32-year-old who grew up in Granite City, 
Illinois. He died recently in an explosion during combat in the Al 
Anbar Province in Iraq. The province, west of Baghdad, and is one of 
the most hostile regions in Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Riley, 
Kansas with his wife, Susie Tipton of Collinsville and their two 
children: Austin, 4 and Kaitlyn, 2. He was commander of Headquarters 
Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry 
Division out of Fort Riley, Kansas.
  I cannot say enough about these men and women who are putting their 
lives on the line every day in the hopes of making a difference in far-
away lands. They made the ultimate sacrifice and should never be taken 
for granted. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the troops, their 
families and their loved ones.
  Truly, we are seeing the next ``greatest generation.'' May God bless 
our troops and may God bless America.

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