[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 103 (Thursday, July 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S8645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                         Sergeant Kyle Brinlee

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I stand here today in memory of a 
courageous young American who gave his life for freedom. He gave his 
life for the people of Iraq, he gave it for his fellow Americans, and 
he gave it especially for those he loved. SGT Kyle Brinlee at the age 
of 21 gave up his life for the sake of others, and for his service and 
his sacrifice, I am proud to honor him on the Senate floor today.
  SGT Kyle A. Brinlee of Pryor, OK, was deployed from Fort Sill and 
served as a masonry and carpentry specialist with the 120th Combat 
Engineering Battalion in Iraq. When he went to Iraq in February, he 
left the familiar comfort of Pryor, OK, for the unknown hostility of 
the Middle East. He left his family, friends, and neighbors, expecting 
to be home within 6 months or a year at the most. Only 3 months passed 
before these same people lined the streets of Pryor as his funeral 
procession passed.
  On May 11, near Alasad, Iraq, an explosive device destroyed the 
vehicle in which Kyle Brinlee was riding. He died while securing the 
freedom of millions of Americans, while trying to secure a chance of 
that freedom for the Iraqi people.
  Sergeant Brinlee, the first Oklahoma guardsman to give his life in 
Iraq, was eulogized in May in front of a crowd of 1,300 people at the 
Pryor High School auditorium. Kyle was remembered as an outstanding 
soldier, a morale builder who was always willing to be the first to 
volunteer, and as someone who all will miss. After his death, the 
National Guard awarded Kyle the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He 
has also earned my admiration and prayers and those of many other 
Americans. His choice was that of a true hero: He endangered his own 
life for the sake of something greater, and that courage to act for the 
good of all will mark his legacy forever.
  Sergeant Brinlee stands as a true example of bravery. He knew of the 
dangers that awaited him. He knew he might never have another 
opportunity to see his family, but he also knew his mission. He knew 
that American freedom does not come from the complaints of the many but 
from the sacrifices of the few. SGT Kyle Brinlee was man enough to be 
counted amongst those noble few. Kyle Brinlee was a true American hero.
  Mr. President, on each trip I take overseas as one of the members of 
the Senate Armed Services Committee, the message I get back from the 
troops in the field is always the same: Why is it that people in 
America do not understand what we are doing? I think the media has done 
a lousy job, distorting the true reality of the freedoms that are 
taking place in Iraq, of all the good things that are happening over 
there.
  I hear from these brave young troops. They know what their mission 
is. They know America is in its most threatened position today. They 
know they are risking their lives, yet they are willing to do it. 
Certainly SGT Kyle Brinlee is one of those, a very good, heroic 
example.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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