[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 77 (Friday, June 4, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1049-E1050]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             FALLEN HEROES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JOHN SULLIVAN

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 20, 2004

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, this Memorial Day, I rise to remember the 
service and sacrifice of our fallen heroes fighting in the War on 
Terror and to honor all of the brave men and women who have served in 
our nation's military.
  This Memorial Day we recognize the sacrifices of so many brave men 
and women who gave their lives for the freedom of others around the 
world and for the defense of our Nation. This past weekend, we 
celebrated a generation of heroes with the dedication of the World War 
II Memorial in Washington, D.C. This memorial serves as a fitting 
tribute to our greatest generation who fought the war and the more than 
400,000 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of 
others enslaved by tyranny and oppression. The memorial will provide 
future generations of Americans with a real sense of the enormity of 
the conflict and they will learn how our Nation joined together during 
the darkest hour in the history of the world, to rise up and defeat the 
regimes of Germany, Italy and Japan.

[[Page E1050]]

  Much like World War II, we find ourselves a nation at war. However, 
instead of having a clear picture of our enemy, we find them cloaked 
and hidden in terrorist camps and harbored by rogue nations. They do 
not have a country to call their home and their motives cannot be 
understated. They abhor the human virtues of freedom, liberty, and 
democracy and aim to destroy America and our way of life.
  Four Oklahoman's from the 1st Congressional District have died in 
operations overseas in Iraq. To honor their service and sacrifice, I 
would like to take a moment to pay tribute to them.
  Army Specialist Kyle A. Brinlee, 21 of Pryor, Oklahoma, died serving 
his Country in Iraq on May 11, 2004;
  Army Specialist James E. Marshall, 19 of Tulsa, Oklahoma, died 
serving his Country in Iraq on May 5, 2004;
  Army Private Jason M. Ward, 25 of Tulsa, Oklahoma, died serving his 
Country in Iraq on October 22, 2003;
  Marine Lance Corporal Thomas A. Blair, 24 of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, 
died serving his Country in Iraq on March 24, 2003.
  These men gave their lives to bring freedom to a Nation which has 
never known it and end the scourge of terrorism around the globe. My 
prayers and condolences go out to all the families of those brave men 
and women who have fallen to make our homeland and the world a safer 
place. They gave their lives selflessly to protect the virtues of 
freedom and protect our way of life. Our debt to them will forever be 
beyond our power to repay. It is vitally important that we keep them in 
our memory and remind future generations of their selflessness and 
heroism.

                          ____________________