[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 130 (Friday, October 7, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11293-S11294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MONTANA'S PATRIOTS
Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, this week, I learned of another young
person from Montana who had been killed in Iraq. PFC Andrew Bedard was
only 19 and died Monday when the Humvee he was driving hit a roadside
bomb.
Andrew Bedard was from Missoula and a 2004 graduate of Hellgate High
School. He joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduation and had
only finished basic training earlier this year in San Diego. He had
been in Iraq for close to only one month, when his life ended because
of another improvised explosive device, or ``IED'' while conducting
combat operations against enemy forces in the Al Anbar province. The
military had recently launched a new offensive against insurgents in
western Iraq.
Those who knew him best describe Andrew as a personable, positive guy
who was friends with most people he ran into and cared a great deal
about his family and friends. I actually met Andrew a few years ago
when he and I were involved in a fender bender in Missoula. He was
courteous and respectful, and I can say that he was a fine young man.
Like me, Andrew was in the U.S. Marine Corps. If they can find solace
in anything, his loved ones must know that his country is proud of his
honorable service in upholding the freedoms and ideals which make this
country great.
My heart and prayers go out to the Bedard family, as well as the
loved ones of all others lost in this War on Terror. Private First
Class Bedard, unfortunately, was the 13th man with Montana ties to die
in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001. Other Montanans who have been killed
in combat in Operation Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom are:
SPC Travis Arndt of Great Falls was the 12th man with Montana ties to
lose his life in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Marine LCpl Nicholas Bloem of Bozeman was killed in Iraq on Aug. 3,
the day after his 20th birthday, when a roadside bomb was exploded
under his amphibious assault vehicle. He was one of 14 Marines killed
from the Ohio-based 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Division.
Marine Cpl Raleigh Smith, 21, of Troy was killed two days before
Christmas 2004 by enemy fire in Fallujah, Iraq.
Marine LCpl Nathan R. Wood, 19, a Great Falls native who has moved to
[[Page S11294]]
Kirkland, WA. He was killed Nov. 19, 2004, as a result of enemy action
in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
Army SSG Aaron N. Holleyman, 26, of Glasgow was killed Aug. 30, 2004,
in Khutayiah, Iraq, when his military vehicle hit an improvised
explosive device.
Marine LCpl Kane M. Funke, 20, who attended high school in Kalispell
before moving to Vancouver, WA. He was killed Aug. 13, 2004, as a
result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
Marine Cpl Dean P. Pratt, 22, of Stevensville, who died Aug. 2, 2004,
also as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province.
Army PFC Owen D. Witt, 20, of Sand Springs was killed May 24, 2004,
in Ad Dawr, Iraq, when his armored high-mobility-multipurpose-wheeled
vehicle rolled over.
Army Reserve 1 LT Edward M. Saltz, 27, of Bigfork was killed Dec. 22,
2003, in Baghdad when the convoy in which he was riding was hit by an
improvised explosive device.
Army Ranger PFC Kristofer T. Stonesifer, 28, of Missoula was killed
Oct. 21, 2001, in a Blackhawk helicopter crash in Pakistan as a part of
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Army 1 LT Josh Hyland, a Missoula soldier who enlisted in ROTC at the
University of Montana on Sept. 12, 2001, was one of four Americans
killed in Afghanistan when a bomb detonated underneath a wooden bridge
they were passing over.
This old Marine was lucky to come home from service in Korea. These
brave souls for whatever reason were not. I thank them for what they
did to protect my family and others across this country and around the
world. They did not die in vain and will not be forgotten. We, as a
nation, mourn the loss of every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine.
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