[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 19 (Friday, February 18, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF SGT. JESSICA HOUSBY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 17, 2005

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to honor and remember the 
life of SGT Jessica Housby of Milan, Illinois. Last week, Sergeant 
Housby was leading a convoy that was hit by an improvised explosive 
device. Her death is tragic and I offer my thoughts and condolences to 
her family and friends.
  Jessica's mother said that serving her country was what Jessica 
always wanted to do. As a high school student, she participated in the 
Explorers Program at the Milan Armory. She won the honor of top cadet 
of 187 competitors in a training exercise at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. 
From that service, Jessica enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard 
while still a senior in high school. Sergeant Housby was assigned to 
the 1644th Transportation Company in Rock Falls, Illinois.
  Sergeant Housby's unit was deployed to Iraq in October of last year. 
She believed in the mission of our Army, protecting the U.S. and 
defending our freedoms through her military service. While she was in 
Iraq, Sergeant Housby served as a truck driver. When she was hauling 
cargo to a base operating near the Baghdad Airport, her truck was 
caught in an explosion that killed her.
  Jessica's mother has said that Sergeant Housby was kind and giving to 
everyone that she met. Her mother explains that Jessica continually 
supported her by providing comfort 2 years ago when her husband, 
Jessica's step-father, passed away to giving reassurances when she 
expressed fear about Jessica's deployment. Jessica last talked to her 
mother on the Sunday before she died, sending her love before embarking 
on the mission which lead to her death. A week later, Jessica's mother 
received a birthday card sent from a war zone, a reminder of the love 
of her attentive daughter.
  Throughout her life, Jessica was recognized for her abilities. When 
she was awarded her top cadet honor in 1999, Lt. Archie Rose of the 
Illinois National Guard explained it was for her ``hard work, 
enthusiasm, and the responsibility.'' On Saturday, I will attend the 
funeral of this dedicated 23-year-old dedicated soldier.
  Sergeant Jessica Housby will be missed by her family, friends, and 
unit. I offer all of them my prayers and thoughts, and I pray for the 
safety of the remaining members of her unit, still serving in Iraq.

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