[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 79 (Wednesday, June 15, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H4554-H4555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE LIFE OF ARMY SERGEANT FIRST CLASS NEIL ARMSTRONG PRINCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a fallen 
hero, Sergeant First Class Neil Armstrong Prince, who grew up in my 
district in Baltimore, Maryland.
  This brave 35-year-old Army sergeant was killed on June 11 in Al 
Taqaddum, Iraq, after a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle.
  Sergeant Prince's convoy was traveling to another city in Iraq when 
it encountered several improvised bombs. The first bomb did not injure 
anyone, but as the convoy stopped to secure the area, two more bombs 
exploded. The last bomb detonated directly under Sergeant Prince's 
vehicle, killing him and 22-year-old Specialist Casey Byers of 
Schleswig, Iowa.
  Sergeant Prince was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field 
Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division in Fort Carson, 
CO. Mr. Speaker, as a committed member of the United States Army for 
nearly 16 years, he demonstrated his unyielding courage and strong 
sense of patriotism in serving this country.

[[Page H4555]]

  I offer my deepest condolences to his family during this time. I, 
along with the other members of the Maryland Federal delegation, mourn 
their loss.
  Our prayers are with his wife Suzette; his 4-year-old son Jordan; his 
parents Cecil and Olive Bailey; his brother Aldean Lindo; and three 
sisters, Ann-Marie Richards, Ava, and Shane Prince.
  Sergeant Prince was one of Maryland's finest citizens. I did not know 
him personally; however, we share an inseparable bond as graduates of 
Baltimore City College High School. It was at City College where 
Sergeant Prince decided to pursue a career in the military. He wanted 
to serve his country and give something back to a Nation that had given 
so much to him.
  Sergeant Prince took his job as a member of our armed services very 
seriously. It is evident that he accepted each challenge with valor and 
dignity, regardless of the inherent dangers involved.
  While he was in Korea last year, a sergeant in another unit with the 
same job had a back injury, and Sergeant Prince was assigned to replace 
him when that unit was deployed to Iraq.
  This brave young American knew of the perils of the high-risk areas 
into which was being sent, but he was proud to be a soldier. He was 
proud that, by serving in the United States Army, he was not only 
making a better life for himself, but he was trying to make a better 
life, a safer life for us all.
  When his family expressed justifiable concerns about his safety in 
Iraq, Sergeant Prince responded with the quiet confidence that defined 
him. He said, ``That is what I joined the Army to do. It is simply my 
job.''
  Mr. Speaker, the deadly consequences of war are a reality that we 
must all face. However, the knowledge of what may happen in war does 
little to diminish the pain, the anguish when that reality reaches your 
front door.
  Sergeant Prince had three loves in his life: his wife, his son, and 
his sports. Needless to say, his wife and son will miss him immensely. 
How do you comfort a wife who has lost her lifelong partner, confidant 
and friend? How do you calm the fears of a 4-year-old boy who must now 
come to terms with the fact that his father will never return home? And 
when young Jordan Prince scores his first touchdown or hits his first 
home run, his dad will not be in the stands to cheer him on to victory. 
Jordan has lost his father, the one who is supposed to teach him how to 
become a man.
  Perhaps there is no consolation for a loss so deep. However, there 
are memories to help ease the pain. This Maryland family has the 
memories of a man who loved them dearly and loved being a soldier. He 
had a vision for his life and followed that vision with intensity.
  Many of us who are blessed with longevity will spend years upon years 
never feeling fulfilled and never doing what we were born to do. There 
is comfort in knowing that during his brief stay on this Earth, 
Sergeant Prince lived a life of purpose.
  Finally, there is little doubt that his parents named him for the 
famous astronaut Neil Armstrong because they wanted him to be a part of 
a legacy of bravery and triumph. They hoped his achievements would 
pierce the stratosphere and reach out onward to the Moon, just like the 
astronaut before him. There would be no limit to Sergeant Prince's 
potential in this country.
  They were right. Neil Armstrong Prince reached for the stars. Like 
all of our men and women in armed services, his courage and his 
commitment to the defense our great country were almost not earthly.

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