[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 156 (Wednesday, December 7, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H11192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN HONOR OF LANCE CORPORAL ROGER WAYNE DEEDS

  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time 
of the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks.)
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lance Corporal 
Roger Wayne Deeds, who served in the Second Marine Division from Camp 
Lejeune, North Carolina.
  Corporal Deeds died November 16 while searching for insurgents in the 
town of Ubaydi, Iraq. He was killed by small arms fire as he returned 
to the scene of combat to rescue a fellow Marine. Corporal Deeds spent 
his favorite years in Truman, Minnesota, where his mother, Joyce, still 
lives.
  Roger Deeds leaves behind a 16-month-old son and a 7-week-old 
daughter that he never met. He lived in Goldsboro, North Carolina with 
his wife, Sarah. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I honor the 
memory and the service of this brave American. It is fitting to offer 
tribute on a day already set aside for remembrance.
  The anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that took place on 
December 7, 1941. Much like the brave soldiers who fell that day, 
Corporal Deeds made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, the attack on Pearl Harbor thrust our Nation into a 
terrible world war. Today we find ourselves in the midst of war once 
again, a very different kind of war. 64 years ago, in the aftermath of 
the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt in this very Chamber 
addressed the country.
  His closing thought is as appropriate now as it was then. He said, 
``With confidence in our Armed Forces, with the unbounding 
determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph, so 
help us God.''
  We owe Corporal Deeds a debt of gratitude we can never repay. He 
chose to set aside the safety and comfort of a life spent at home in 
order to defend freedom for people who will never know his name.
  He now takes his place in that long line that Douglas MacArthur said 
has never failed us. I thank the Deeds family for giving their loved 
one to this service. I hope it brings some comfort to know that the 
thoughts and prayers of thousands of Minnesotans are with them.
  May God have mercy on his soul. May He continue to bless America and 
all who defend her.

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