[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 124 (Thursday, September 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING SERGEANT PAUL KARPOWICH OF FREELAND, PENNSYLVANIA, WHO WAS 
                    KILLED IN IRAQ IN DECEMBER 2004

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                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 29, 2005

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask you and my esteemed 
colleagues in the House of Representatives to pay tribute to the life 
of Sergeant Paul Karpowich, of Freeland, Pennsylvania, who was killed 
in action in Iraq in December 2004.
  Sgt. Karpowich was 30 years old when he suffered the loss of his life 
while trying to liberate the Iraqi people and afford them the same 
opportunities we enjoy in a land ruled by democracy.
  The victim of a suicide bomber whose treachery claimed the lives of 
20 people, Sgt. Karpowich was one of 15 military personnel who were 
killed. The remaining five victims were civilian employees of 
Department of Defense contractors.
  Sgt. Karpowich was remembered by many as a ``soldier's soldier.'' He 
joined the U.S. Army immediately after graduating from Bishop Hafey 
High School. He completed basic training at Fort Benning, GA and then 
went on to Fort Bragg, NC, where he graduated from paratrooper school, 
after which he joined the 82nd Airborne Division.
  Sgt. Karpowich served as a drill instructor with the 98th Division's 
1st Battalion, 417th Regiment, 1st Brigade.
  He had recently been notified that he was about to be promoted to 
Master Sergeant, the second highest enlisted rank in the Army, when the 
bomb blast ripped through a mess tent in a forward operating base at 
Mosul, Iraq, where Sgt. Karpowich and hundreds of others were gathered.
  The first Hazleton area resident to give his life in the Iraq War, 
Sgt. Karpowich's awards and decorations included the Army Commendation 
Medal, the Expert Infantryman's Badge, the Good Conduct Medal, the 
National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terror Medal.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in paying tribute to the life of a true 
American patriot whose courage and bravery transcended human frailty 
and shone like a beacon to inspire others.
  Sgt. Karpowich well understood the importance of those objectives and 
willingly put his life in harm's way to help others enjoy the same 
liberties as we do. The world is a better place today because of the 
sacrifices made by Sgt. Karpowich and others like him.

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