[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 19, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S3893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

                                 ______
                                 

                       SPECIALIST SASCHA STRUBLE

  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 Hanna. 
SPC Struble, twenty years old, died on April 6 in a military helicopter 
crash near Ghazni city, 80 miles southwest of Kabul. With his entire 
life before him, Sascha risked everything to fight for the values 
Americans hold close to our hearts, in a land halfway around the world.
  Two years out of high school, Sascha had joined the Army in the hopes 
of getting the education he needed to become a paralegal, even working 
in the Army Judge Advocate General unit while stationed in Afghanistan. 
A former teacher recounted that Sascha was ``a terrific kid . . . 
Sascha made us all want to be a better person.'' Described as a father 
figure to his younger siblings, Sascha never liked conflict and was 
often the family peacekeeper. His younger sister described Sascha to a 
local television station as ``always a happy person, always making us 
laugh. I can't think of a time that he wasn't smiling.''
  Sascha was killed while serving his country in Operation Enduring 
Freedom. He served in the 1st Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, 508 
Infantry.
  Today, I join Sascha's family and friends 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 Sascha, a memory that will burn brightly 
during these continuing days of conflict and grief.
  Sascha was known for his dedication to his family and his love of 
country. Today and always, Sascha 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 Sascha'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 Sascha's actions will live on far longer than any 
record of these words.
  It is my sad duty to enter the name of Specialist Sascha Struble in 
the Official Record of the United States 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 Sascha'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 Sascha.

                          ____________________