[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 67 (Thursday, May 13, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H2924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN HONOR OF DAN PARKER
(Mr. BROWN of South Carolina asked and was given permission to
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, last Friday, a constituent
of mine, Mr. Daniel Parker, was struck down during his service in Iraq.
Mr. Parker, a dedicated Halliburton employee and retired teacher at a
Border Patrol Academy in Charleston, was en route to Baghdad
International Airport in a military convoy when an improvised explosive
detonated near his vehicle.
Dan, a veteran of two tours in Vietnam, selflessly braved the
perilous environment of a war zone and helped establish a peaceful and
productive democracy in the Middle East. Civilian workers like Dan are
the unsung heroes in pursuit of stability in Iraq.
With the deaths this past week of Dan and other civilians, we have
been tragically exposed to the deadly hazards that these courageous
American employees encounter during their daily work abroad.
Working alongside coalition troops and the Iraqi people, civilian
contractors work tirelessly to improve the quality of life of strangers
by helping to provide the simple resources that we in America most
often take for granted: electric power, clean water, and public
schools.
Dan Parker was an innocent victim of the treacherous conditions that
Americans continue to endure in Iraq. His sacrifice and the sacrifice
of others like him will not soon be forgotten.
My thoughts and prayers are with Dan and his family.
____________________