[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 138 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN HONOR AND IN MEMORY OF LCPL BRAD FAIRCLOTH OF MOBILE, AL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2004

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a young 
man from the First Congressional District of Alabama who recently made 
the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of freedom abroad.
  Lance Corporal Brad Faircloth, a native of Mobile, Alabama, was 
assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, based at Camp Lejeune, 
North Carolina. In July of this year, Brad's unit was deployed to Iraq 
in support of ongoing military operations in that country. It was there 
that, on November 25, 2004, he was killed while he and other members of 
his unit conducted house-to-house searches in Fallujah, Iraq, looking 
for members of that country's insurgent movement.
  Brad set a standard of excellence and displayed the qualities of 
discipline, devotion, and dedication to country that are hallmarks of 
men and women throughout the long and distinguished history of the 
American military. Following his 2002 graduation from Murphy High 
School in Mobile, Alabama, and after one year as a student at Delta 
State University in Mississippi, Brad chose to join the Marine Corps. 
In recent days, many members of his family said he did so in large part 
in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, because he 
felt he should do his part in the fight to protect his country. Brad 
was an extremely conscientious and dedicated marine, and he was honored 
recently with the presentation to his family of three Purple Hearts and 
the Distinguished Service Medal.
  Mr. Speaker, I feel certain his many friends in Mobile County and his 
comrades in the United States Marine Corps, while mourning the loss of 
this fine young man, are also taking this opportunity to remember his 
many accomplishments during his brief 20 years, and to recall the fine 
gift they each received simply from knowing him and having him as an 
integral part of their lives.
  I urge my colleagues to take a moment and pay tribute to Lance 
Corporal Brad Faircloth and his selfless devotion to not only our 
country and the freedoms we enjoy, but to a people who are but now in 
the infancy of a new life--a new freedom--in their own land.
  We should also remember his mother, Kathleen Faircloth-Smith; his 
stepfather, Paul Smith; his grandparents, Dewey and Helen Faircloth; 
his uncle, Tim Faircloth; and his other family members and many 
friends. Our prayer is that God will give them all the strength and 
courage that only He can provide to sustain them during the difficult 
days ahead.
  It was Joseph Campbell who said, ``A hero is someone who has given 
his or her life to something bigger than oneself.'' Make no mistake, 
young Brad Faircloth was not only a dedicated marine who made the 
ultimate sacrifice serving in the uniform of his country, but he was 
also a true American hero.

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