[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 33 (Thursday, March 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE LIFE AND SACRIFICE OF SERGEANT MICHAEL ESPISITO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE ISRAEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2005

  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and sacrifice 
of Sergeant Michael Espisito, U.S. Army. On March 18, 2004, SGT 
Espisito made the ultimate sacrifice for his Nation--he gave his life 
while fighting on the frontiers of freedom in the small town of Miam 
Do, Afghanistan.
  Referring to heroes of World War II, Sir Winston Churchill once 
stated, ``Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so 
many to so few.'' I believe that Churchill's sentiments reign truer 
then ever when applied to today's historically small contingent of 
service men and women. The challenge facing us is similarly great: the 
defeat of terrorism. But the number bearing that burden has never been 
so small.
  Michael Espisito not only recognized that challenge, he embraced it. 
He volunteered to serve, to bear that burden, and he loved it. In a 
letter to Michael's parents, Captain Jorge Cordeiro, Michael's Company 
Commander, reflected back on the first battle he fought in with 
Michael. Captain Cordeiro wrote, ``I can recall him telling me it was 
the best day of his life and how proud he felt to have fought for his 
country.''
  Assigned as a Team Leader in A Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry 
Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division, Sergeant Espisito took each 
word in his title to heart.
  Team: Sergeant Espisito never cared as much about himself as he did 
about the men surrounding him, his brothers in arms. He put their 
interests first; he put their safety first; he put their success ahead 
of his own. But Michael Espisito's team extended beyond those he fought 
with. His team was the Army, his family, his Nation and, in many ways, 
the people of Afghanistan. Just before Sergeant Espisito was mortally 
wounded in Afghanistan he successfully evacuated two women from the 
same building in which he was fighting. Those women were on SGT 
Espisito's team and they were saved because of it.

  Leader: In the U.S. Army infantry there is a short slogan that is 
often repeated: ``Follow me!'' Michael Espisito didn't just say 
``follow me,'' he lived it. He led his men from the front in every 
combat maneuver they took part in. In so doing, he earned the trust, 
the respect and the confidence of all around him. As his Battalion 
Commander wrote of him, ``He was a shining example of a soldier and 
non-commissioned officer to the end.'' SGT Espisito was leading from 
the front when he breached a door in an enemy compound and was mortally 
wounded in an exchange of fire.
  Michael Espisito was a special human being. He was different. He was 
a hero. You get the feeling he was put on this earth to serve. He knew 
his mission, he understood his roll and he embraced it. And he lived 
his life, did his work and executed his missions with dignity, vigor 
and excellence. Our world is better because of his sacrifice but it is 
poorer because of his loss.
  Churchill reminds us how much we owe to those few men and women like 
Michael Espisito. We owe Michael our commitment to a better world. We 
owe Michael our commitment to living better, more principled, more 
service oriented lives. And we owe Michael the memorializing of his 
life and his sacrifice, best completed by living the lives he would 
have wished for each us. Michael is gone but he will never be 
forgotten.

                          ____________________