[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 17 (Monday, February 13, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1122-S1124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                      Lance Corporal Wesley Davids

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of a brave 
young man, who was known for his incredible spirit and selflessness. 
Marine LCpl Wesley Davids, from Dublin, OH, was killed by an explosion 
in Iraq on May 11, 2005--exactly one day after his 20th birthday.
  Ronald Reagan once said that ``some people spend an entire lifetime 
wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that 
problem!'' Indeed, all of our U.S. Marines are making a difference each 
and every day, and Marine LCpl Wesley Davids was no exception.
  Wesley was born to loving parents Michael and Jody Davids. Even from 
the time he was a little boy, he loved anything that moved fast. When 
he got older, he loved driving fast cars and fast boats. He owned a 
Mustang GTS and two other cars. He also worked at a National Tire & 
Battery store on the North side of Columbus.
  Wesley's friends at Dublin Scioto High School, from which he 
graduated in 2003, describe him as having boundless energy and that 
between working on his cars and going off-roading, Wesley lived a very 
active, very full life.
  He loved a challenge and testing his own limits. Wesley was a stand-
out member of his high school's crew team. According to his coach, Russ 
Merritt, ``Wesley was just a very impressive, strong young man. You 
just had no doubt that he would give 100 percent.''
  Amy Speck, who rowed with Wesley, wrote the following about her 
teammate in a posting on an Internet tribute site dedicated to Wesley:

       I had the privilege to be Wes's coxswain in his crew boat 
     his sophomore year and my senior year. Wes helped lead us to 
     winning the Midwest Championships. He always led by example 
     and was a fighter with a courageous spirit from the 
     beginning.

  It was that courageous spirit and strong sense of leadership that 
prompted Wesley to join the Marine Corps after the September 11 
terrorist attacks. His mother, though concerned about Wesley's safety, 
came to accept his choice to enlist and respected the passion he 
brought to his decision. Jody knew that her son's determination in this 
pursuit was strong, and she was very proud of him.
  She said that the same passion that defined Wesley in the boat when 
he

[[Page S1123]]

rowed for the crew team, defined him as a Marine. ``He wanted the 
camaraderie--the team spirit--of being part of something bigger than he 
was.''
  During their last phone conversation, Jody said that Wesley sounded 
very happy and enthusiastic. She said, ``Wes, you sound really great. 
Are you having a good time?'' Wesley replied to his mother, ``I'm 
having a great time. I love the guys I'm serving with. I love what I'm 
doing. We're really well-trained. The mission is worth it.''
  One of Wesley's very good friends and high school classmates, Brian 
Fry, addressed the crowd at Wesley's funeral. He greeted Wesley in a 
way that I am sure he would have loved. Brian said this:

       Wes, we know you're in Heaven. And your Heaven is probably 
     one big mud pit! We'd just like to say, take a ride for us, 
     and we'll see you soon.

  During the funeral, Wesley's Uncle Brian read a prayer he wrote 
titled Twenty Years and a Day. He asked God to tell his nephew that he 
missed and loved him and to thank him for the memories he left behind. 
Brian concluded the poem by saying:

       Thank you for sending this wonderful gift to us--even if it 
     was for just 20 years and a day.

  An Air Force chaplain who had known Wesley well read from a poem 
titled Dash, which refers to the mark between the birth and death dates 
on a tombstone:

       He never made it to mid-dash. But he lived, and paid the 
     ultimate sacrifice for people he didn't even know. And, 
     that--that is love.

  This past Veterans Day held special meaning for Wesley's family and 
friends. As his mom Jody said:

       Previously, Veterans Day was a day; it could just slip by 
     even though my dad is a veteran and my husband's father is a 
     veteran. This year, it has new and intense meaning for us.

  She went on to say:

       To stand up for what they believed in, to stand up for 
     their country, to show their love for their families and 
     their country and show pride to be an American citizen and do 
     something about it, we have to appreciate all of them for 
     that. While Wesley's death is a tragic loss, he died doing 
     something he felt passionately about. He was the best that 
     this country had to offer.

  Wesley once said, ``I don't want to die, but I understand it is a 
responsibility, and I'm willing to accept that risk.'' Wesley Davids 
was a brave, model Marine. Did he make a difference in his all-too-
brief lifetime? Absolutely. He made a difference, and this statement 
demonstrates a maturity level and selfless spirit well beyond his 20 
years and a day. As Reverend Charles Kuck said so well, ``Wesley Davids 
saw more life than most of us see in an entire lifetime.''
  Indeed, he did, Mr. President, indeed he did.
  My wife Fran and I continue to keep Wesley's parents and his brother 
Steven in our thoughts and prayers.


                 Private First Class Christopher Dixon

  Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of a fellow Ohioan--
Marine PFC Christopher Dixon--who was killed on May 11, 2005, when his 
amphibious assault vehicle struck an explosive device while conducting 
combat operations against enemy forces in Iraq. Christopher was only 18 
years old at the time of his death, making him the youngest service 
member from Ohio to be killed in Iraq.
  Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in paying tribute to the sacrifices young 
men like Christopher Dixon make during times of war, said the 
following:

       In all of the operations of our Armed Forces, the toughest 
     job has been performed by the average easy-going, hard-
     fighting young American who carries the weight of battle on 
     his own young shoulders. It is to him that we and all future 
     generations must pay grateful tribute.

  And so today, I pay tribute to Christopher, a hard-fighting young 
American, who carried the weight of battle on his own young shoulders.
  Christopher--Chris to his family and friends--was a fun-loving young 
man, who took great joy in making others laugh. Friends remember Chris 
as both a daredevil and as a handsome ladies' man. Chris didn't have a 
girlfriend, but his friends describe him as a charmer, with blue eyes 
and light brown hair that bleached to blonde in the summertime. His 
mother said that when it came to girls, ``He liked them all.''
  Not afraid of anything, Chris was a true adventurer. He loved to 
fish, hunt, and ride his dirt bike, while standing on the seat, going 
full speed into Wayne National Forest. An avid bowler, Chris would show 
off bowling tricks at Rainbow Lanes on South High Street in his 
hometown of Obetz, OH.
  He worked in the bowling alley before joining the marines and liked 
to impress his friends by knocking down pins after facing backwards and 
rolling a ball through his legs. As friend Michele Hatfield remembers:

       He'd do it just to show off. Anything to get a laugh out of 
     people.

  Chris graduated from Hamilton Township High School in 2004, and 
joined the marines a week later. According to his mom, Chris dreamed of 
becoming a marine since the start of high school. He was assigned to 
Lima Company, which is part of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment 
out of Columbus. When he was sent to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom, 
his unit was attached to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, 
2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.
  On May 22 of this year, I had the honor of meeting Chris Dixon's 
family and friends at the calling hours following his death. I saw 
pictures of Chris and talked with his mom and his dad, Beckie and David 
Dixon, and his older brother Chad. Beckie said that after she learned 
of Chris's death, she put up 18 flags, one for each year of his all too 
brief life.
  Chris's closely knit town of Obetz was devastated by the young 
marine's death and the community grieved together. Allen Lantrip, 17 at 
the time, said Chris was among the best the town had to offer. Chris 
was one of the first people who welcomed Allen to Hamilton Township 
High School last year. The two talked before Chris departed for Iraq. 
Allen said Chris was very optimistic about going on the mission and 
coming home safe.
  Another friend, Jordan Wall, also said Chris never worried about the 
possibility of not coming home. She had known him for 7 years, as he 
had lived one street over from her. Jordan said Chris wasn't scared at 
all and that he was happy to be in the marines. She said Chris was 
always trying to help somebody. He knew he would be helping people in 
the marines by serving his country.
  At Chris's memorial service, Reverend William L. Snider said:

       While Chris's death at such a young age is devastating, he 
     did not waste his youth and he died living his dream of 
     protecting his country as a marine. He gave his best for what 
     he believed in. He gave his best for the best.

  Several of Chris's friends paid their respects to his life through 
postings on an Internet tribute site. Chris's friend Danielle from 
Columbus wrote the following:

       Chris, my good friend, I miss you so, but I could not be 
     any more proud with how you lived your life. You are a true 
     hero, and now, my guardian angel. I will never forget all our 
     phone conversations and how beautiful that smile of yours 
     was. You lived out your dream and I know you are so happy 
     right now in heaven. I know I will see you again. Your mark 
     and your heart will be forever with me.

  Chris Dixon epitomizes everything a good friend should be. People 
adored this young man and deeply respected his commitment to serving 
our country. He was a good person, a good person who loved what he was 
doing and was proud to be helping to protect America and help rebuild 
the lives of the people in Iraq.
  I wish to conclude my remarks with something that Chris's friends 
Danielle and Nick from Obetz wrote in tribute to him:

       Chris, you are someone who will be in our hearts forever. 
     We think of you daily and talk about our precious memories, 
     laughing about the crazy things you did. I'll always remember 
     going on double dates with you and your girlfriends, going to 
     the zoo, or trying to find a haunted house on my first date 
     with Nick. I am blessed that I got the pleasure of knowing 
     you. Spending the precious time you spent with Nick before 
     you left are some of the fondest memories he has of you, and 
     believe he, he couldn't be happier having all of those 
     memories--hanging out in the hot tub, playing pool and Ping-
     Pong and, most of all, all the long talks. You were always 
     someone Nick could talk to no matter what it concerned and he 
     will never forget that.
       We are proud of you. We knew you would do something great 
     with your life. You died for us at home so we could live free 
     and be safe. You made a sacrifice that no one will ever 
     forget. You are truly our hometown hero. We love you, Chris.

  My wife Fran and I continue to keep Christopher Dixon's family in our 
thoughts and in our prayers.

[[Page S1124]]

                      lieutenant commander wittwer

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise to honor the memory of the late 
LCDR Frank Carl Wittwer. Lieutenant Commander Wittwer, a longtime 
Hanford resident, perished when his F/A-18C Hornet went down during a 
training mission near Naval Air Facility El Centro on January 18, 2006. 
He was 35 years old.
  A 1994 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Lieutenant Commander 
Wittwer was fondly remembered as a friendly and active student who 
participated in a number of activities such as music and youth 
ministries at his church. Upon receiving his bachelor of science degree 
in systems engineering, he began his successful active-duty career as a 
surface warfare officer aboard the USS California and the USS McFaul.
  In recognition of his considerable talents, Lieutenant Commander 
Wittwer was assigned to the Hornet Program with VFA-137 in 2001. 
Subsequently, he received postings at Strike Fighter Wing Pacific Fleet 
as safety officer and a follow-on assignment with the VFA-97 Warhawks. 
Throughout his years of service, Lieutenant Commander Wittwer was known 
as a dedicated and honorable serviceman who embodied the best qualities 
and ideals of the U.S. Navy.
  In his personal life, Lieutenant Commander Wittwer demonstrated a 
genuine commitment to improving the lives of others. A popular figure 
in the community and an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in 
Hanford, he had a passion in working with kindergartners and grade 
school students. A man of many talents, Lieutenant Commander Wittwer 
recently completed the executive MBA program at the California State 
University, Fresno's Craig School of Business.
  Lieutenant Commander Wittwer will be remembered by those whose lives 
he touched as a devoted family man, a loyal friend and an outstanding 
member of the U.S. Navy. He is survived by his wife Mendi; daughters 
Erin and Abbie; son Jack; sister Patti; nephew Josh; and his 
grandfather Hurdis Harris.

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