[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 121 (Thursday, September 30, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1746]]
    HONORING THE LIFE OF PETTY OFFICER 3RD CLASS NATHAN BRUCKENTHAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE ISRAEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2004

  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Nathan B. 
Bruckenthal, a life that he gave for his country. P03 Bruckenthal, U.S. 
Coast Guard, was killed in action at the Khawr Al Amay Oil Terminal off 
the coast of Iraq on 24 April 2004 in a terrorist-suicide bombing. DC3 
Bruckenthal became the first Coast Guardsman to lose his life in combat 
since Vietnam.
  P03 Bruckenthal was born on July 17, 1979. Growing up in Stony Brook, 
Long Island, he had a strong sense of service from his earliest years. 
A member of the Junior ROTC while in high school and later a volunteer 
firefighter in Ridgefield, Connecticut, Bruckenthal later returned home 
to Long Island where he joined the Coast Guard.
  Bruckenthal went on to serve at Coast Guard stations in Montauk, New 
York; Yorktown, Pennsylvania; and Neah Bay, Washington. Having 
volunteered to become a damage control officer, Bruckenthal made an 
even greater commitment to continued service by reenlisting, a decision 
he made with his new wife Pattie whom he had met while serving in 
Washington. Bruckenthal was subsequently selected for the elite Coast 
Guard tactical law enforcement program and assigned to TACLET South, 
housed at the Coast Guard's Miami Air Station.
  Lauded for his leadership by his commanding officers and continually 
decorated for his achievements, P03 Bruckenthal was selected for 
deployment to Iraq where he would work not only with the Coast Guard 
but with the Navy and numerous foreign services. His dedication to 
service was needed in what would soon be a war zone; his leadership was 
needed to make working with so many disparate services a success. P03 
Bruckenthal went on to work in and around the critical Iraqi port of Um 
Qasar before being redeployed to the United States. But one tour of 
duty was not enough for a man who always sought greater service. He 
volunteered to go back to Iraq.
  While serving on his second tour, Bruckenthal learned his wife was 
carrying his unborn child. Still he soldiered on. While patrolling in 
the Persian Gulf and training two Navy seamen on intercept operations, 
P03 Bruckenthal noticed a suspicious vessel. When the vessel would not 
heed his commands, Bruckenthal moved with his crew to intercept the 
vessel. The vessel exploded and P03 Bruckenthal and his two crewmates 
were killed. Their selfless action saved the U.S.S. Firebolt and its 
sailors as well as the off shore oil platform and terminal at Khawr Al 
Amaya. P03 Nathan Bruckenthal had now made the ultimate sacrifice for 
his country: he gave his life.
  P03 Bruckenthal had been well decorated during his career, earning 
the USCG Marksmanship Ribbon, the Unit Commendation Award, the Coast 
Guard Sea Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, the Coast 
Guard Merit Team Commendation and the Combat Action Medal. He will not 
know of his final two decorations but they speak directly to his 
characteristics of selflessness, leadership and sacrifice. For his 
heroic intercept of the suicide vessel, P03 Bruckenthal was 
posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart.
  Words do not easily capture the greatness of a young man like Nathan 
Bruckenthal nor can they do justice to his sacrifice or to the deep 
loss of his family. However, it is our duty to ensure that the legacy 
of this great American, like that of many who have fallen with him, is 
known and honored. Tom Brokaw wrote not so long ago about what he 
termed ``The Greatest Generation.'' He illustrated that they were 
people who knew there was a need for service and then quietly answered 
that call. They were people who sacrificed so much but complained very 
little. They were people who labored far away while penning letters to 
loved ones at home speaking only of happiness, their love and their 
future. Nathan Bruckenthal may not have served with the men and women 
who are part of that WWII generation, but I can tell you he would be 
right at home with them.

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