[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 133 (Thursday, November 18, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11469-S11470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES
cpl. joseph l. nice
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Marine LCpl. Joseph
L. Nice from Nicoma Park, OK, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his
country on August 4, 2004. This fourth-generation soldier died
defending the freedom he enjoyed and fighting to ensure it for others.
Lance Corporal Nice moved to Nicoma Park, OK from Newark, NJ, in
1998. He was a gifted young man--a musician, artist and sportsman, who
used these gifts in the marching band and on the soccer team at Choctaw
High School. From the age of 5, he had longed to follow in the
footsteps of his father, his grandfathers, and his uncle in serving in
the military. After weighing this tradition and putting on hold his
plans to study law, Joseph Nice decided to join the Marine Corps in
June 2003.
Lance Corporal Nice was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st
Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force stationed at Marine Corps
Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, CA. His unit was deployed
to Iraq in February 2004, where Lance Corporal Nice and his fellow
Marines faced daily attacks in the Anbar province. During one of these
attacks on August 4, 2004, Joseph Nice was killed.
I represent the State of Oklahoma in paying my condolences to the
family of this American hero. A friend of his said about him: ``If you
had a problem, he was always there for you.'' Through his service in
Iraq, LCpl Joseph Nice demonstrated his worthiness to receive this
highest compliment. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and
friends today.
army spc. sonny g. sampler
Mr. President, we also pay homage to Army SPC Sonny G. Sampler from
Oklahoma City, OK, who died in the name of freedom in Iraq on 8 July
2004. He moved to Oklahoma City from Altus, OK and began attending John
Marshall High School.
Specialist Sampler saw the Army as an opportunity for focus and
direction and joined in 2001. He was deployed to Iraq with 1st
Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division based in
Schweinfurt, Germany. In serving his country, Sonny Sampler did not shy
away from his other duties. In the words of Maj. Gen. Douglas Dollar,
``This young man was willing to go to a strange land and fight for
people he didn't know.'' It is the same young man who sold some
belongings to pay for a flight from Germany back to the United States
at Christmas to surprise his mother. Such a family man is to be much
valued.
Specialist Sampler was tragically killed when he was searching the
Iraqi National Guard Headquarters for survivors, following an allied
attack. When the ruins underwent an attack by insurgents, Sonny Sampler
and five other U.S. soldiers died. He was 23 years old.
Our thoughts and prayers are with this American hero's family and
friends at this very difficult time. We should never cease to be proud
of this man.
SGT DANIEL LEE GALVAN
Mr. President, we also pay homage to Sgt Daniel Lee Galvan, who
joined the Army to realize his childhood dream of working with
helicopters. Earlier this year, Sergeant Galvan made the ultimate
sacrifice for his country--his life. Sergeant Galvan was a dedicated
defender of America who followed his father into the military. For this
service and his sacrifice, I am proud to honor him in the Senate today.
Daniel Galvan was born in Fort Ord, CA, but later moved to Moore, OK,
where he joined the Army reserve after high school but enlisted in 1996
to fulfill what he saw as his calling to be a soldier. Though he knew a
career in the military would enable him to provide for his family, the
paycheck was never his primary motivation. In the words of his wife,
Sonya, ``He joined because he believed in the cause. He believed in the
military. And he was proud to wear the uniform and honored to be an
American.'' Sergeant Galvan was a helicopter crew chief with the 2nd
Battalion (Assault), 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
(Light), based out of Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.
On August 12, 2004, the Black Hawk helicopter that was transporting
Sergeant Galvan and fourteen other soldiers in Afghanistan developed
mechanical problems and crashed near the Pakistani border. The fourteen
others were wounded, but Daniel Lee Galvan, an honorable Oklahoman and
example for us all, paid the ultimate price. Sergeant Galvan left
behind his wife as well as two children, his daughter Audrey, 13, and
his son Joseph, 11. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family for
the loss of such a special man.
On behalf of the U.S. Senate, I ask that we pay tribute to Sergeant
Galvan and the men and women like him, who know the true meaning of
service and sacrifice. These men and women have tasted freedom, and
wish to ensure that freedom for those who have never experienced it. I
honor the memory of our sons and daughters who have died for this noble
cause, and especially the memory of Oklahoma's son, Daniel Lee Galvan.
cpl nathaniel t. hammond
Mr. President, I rise to honor the memory of a brave young American
who gave his life defending the Nation. He felt a call to serve his
country, to be part of something bigger than himself, and for that call
he paid the highest price.
Cpl Nathaniel T. Hammond was assigned to the Marine Reserves' 2nd
Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division in Chicago. Nathan
wasn't a native Oklahoman--he was born and raised in Brighton, MO,
where he graduated from high school in 1998 and then joined the
Marines, but he lived in Tulsa and had trained with the Anti-Tank
Training Company, a Marine Reserve unit, in Broken Arrow.
On November 8 in Babil province, Iraq, he was killed in an insurgent
attack. He gave his life for the freedom of millions of Americans, and
also for the peace and prosperity of the Iraqi people only now
beginning to recover from decades under a totalitarian regime.
Corporal Hammond had a long-held desire to serve the military as a
member of the Special Forces, but even as a member of the Marine
Reserve, he was ``doing what he wanted to do and what the loved to
do,'' according to a childhood friend and fellow soldier. His parents
have described how Nathan evinced the selfless attitude toward service
to country that is so evident in all our military men and women.
We are all glad Nathan Hammond was willing to serve. His loss is
grievous to all of us. Our thoughts are with his parents and the rest
of his family back in Missouri. At the same time, we recognize his
valor and commitment. It is for men like Nathan Hammond that I am proud
to be a part of this great country. He was a special soldier, a true
Oklahoman, and a true American.
pfc nachez washalanta ii
Mr. President, I honor the memory of a courageous young Oklahoman who
died while defending his Nation. Marine PFC Nachez Washalanta II grew
up in the great State of Oklahoma, went to school in Ardmore and Silo,
and joined the Marines in April 2002.
The road wasn't always smooth for Wash, as his fellow Marines called
him. He grew up in a foster home with four other boys, and got his GED
instead of graduating from high school. Eventually, Private Washalanta
found a home with the United States Marine Corps. He was the driver of
a light-armored
[[Page S11470]]
vehicle, and although he sometimes complained that he joined the
Marines to fight and not to drive, he got his chance in Iraq.
Private Washlanta was a member of the 1st Light-Armored
Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary
Force from Camp Pendleton, CA. He paid the ultimate price. When you
think about these five great Oklahomans, as well as others around the
country, and some 1,100 who have lost their lives, it is a shame that
so many people in America do not understand what these soldiers
understand.
Mr. President, I have the honor of being, I guess, the second or
third ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Consequently, I may have made more trips over to Iraq and Afghanistan
than anyone else. I am always approached by these young people. They
say: Why is it, Senator, that the people back home don't appreciate
what we are doing? These people are dedicated, and they know exactly
what they are doing. Unfortunately, we have a media that tries to
demean everything they are doing. And I give the assurance to these
young people that even though it might be that the networks, CNN, and
the New York Times and the Washington Post do not know and appreciate
what they are doing, we do, the real people of America. And they are
heroes.
I think most of our young people realize our country is facing the
greatest risk it has ever faced. This is not conventional warfare. This
is not something that is predictable. Sometimes I say I look back
wistfully at the days of the Cold War where we had two superpowers, and
they were predictable. We were predictable, they were predictable. This
is totally unpredictable, but it is a war that has to be won. I pay
homage not just to those Oklahomans I mentioned today, but all who are
there and many who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom right
here in this country.
Sgt Morgan W. Strader
Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I rise today with a heavy heart and deep
sense of gratitude to honor the life of a brave young man from
Brownsburg, IN. Sgt Morgan W. Strader, 23 years old, died on November
12. After completing his enlistment, Morgan voluntarily extended his
service, choosing to accompany his unit back to Iraq--a selfless choice
that would cost him his life. Morgan was shot while conducting combat
operations in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. With his entire life
before him, Morgan risked everything to fight for the values Americans
hold close to our hearts, in a land halfway around the world.
Before moving to Crossville, TN, Morgan attended school in
Brownsburg. Morgan graduated from high school and followed in his
grandfather's footsteps by joining the military. Morgan's father, Gary,
told the Indianapolis Star that ``He was a Marine from the day that he
was born . . . His grandfather was in the Army during Korea. He latched
onto that and loved it.'' It was clear that from a young age, Morgan
felt compelled to serve his country in the Armed Forces, just as his
grandfather had done.
Morgan was the thirty-seventh Hoosier soldier to be killed while
serving his country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was assigned to the
Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, Regimental Combat Team-1, 1st
Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. This brave young soldier leaves
behind his father and stepmother, Gary and Janet; his mother and
stepfather, Linda and Timothy; his grandparents, Onza and Estelle
Morgan; his grandfather, William Strader; his sisters, Amber, Jessica
and Rachel; and his brothers, Brian, Chris and Matthew.
Today, I join Morgan's family, his friends and the entire Hoosier
community in mourning his death. While we struggle to bear our sorrow
over this loss, we can also take pride in the example he set, bravely
fighting to make the world a safer place. It is his courage and
strength of character that people will remember when they think of
Morgan, a memory that will burn brightly during these continuing days
of conflict and grief.
Morgan was known for his dedication to family and his love of
country. When looking back on Morgan's life, his father, Gary, recalled
to the Indianapolis Star a conversation that he had with his son
shortly before his departure for a second tour in Iraq. Gary was trying
to convince his son that he had done his part and his service was
complete. Morgan told his father upon deciding to reenlist, `` Dad, the
guys in my unit aren't experienced in this . . . I need to help them.''
Morgan died in the same fashion in which he had lived by putting the
well-being of others before his own. Today and always, Morgan will be
remembered by family members, friends and fellow Hoosiers as a true
American hero and we honor the sacrifice he made while dutifully
serving his country.
As I search for words to do justice in honoring Morgan's sacrifice, I
am reminded of President Lincoln's remarks as he addressed the families
of the fallen soldiers in Gettysburg: ``We cannot dedicate, we cannot
consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and
dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power
to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we
say here, but it can never forget what they did here.'' This statement
is just as true today as it was nearly 150 years ago, as I am certain
that the impact of Morgan's actions will live on far longer than any
record of these words.
It is my sad duty to enter the name of Morgan W. Strader in the
official record of the U.S. Senate for his service to this country and
for his profound commitment to freedom, democracy and peace. When I
think about this just cause in which we are engaged, and the
unfortunate pain that comes with the loss of our heroes, I hope that
families like Morgan's can find comfort in the words of the prophet
Isaiah who said, ``He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord
God will wipe away tears from off all faces.''
May God grant strength and peace to those who mourn, and may God be
with all of you, as I know He is with Morgan.
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