[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 56 (Wednesday, May 10, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO U.S. ARMY SERGEANT PIERRE A. RAYMOND

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 10, 2006

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a true hero, Army 
Sergeant Pierre A. Raymond, who gave his life in service to our 
country.
  Sergeant Raymond was a resident of Lawrence, MA, and was deployed 
with the brave men and women serving in our armed forces as part of 
Operation: Iraqi Freedom II. David was in Iraq just one week before 
sustaining fatal injuries from an explosion that ripped through his 
barracks in Ramadi, Iraq. He died five days later on September 20, 
2005, surrounded by his family in the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center 
in Landstuhl, Germany.
  Pierre was preparing to celebrate his 29th birthday in early October. 
He looked forward to returning to his family and his girlfriend, with 
whom he had lived before deployment, and was planning to finish a 
college degree in psychology. His friends and family recall his playful 
nature and his wonderful laughter. He was courageous to the end. Even 
as he lay wounded in his hospital bed, he is reported to have been 
talking and joking with doctors and nurses and was in good spirits. 
Friends and family also remember David's passion for cars and his 
talent for repairing them--a technical ability that served him well as 
an Army mechanic maintaining Bradley Fighting Vehicles in the Army 
Reserve's 228th Forward Support Battalion, 28th Infantry Division. His 
zest for life should be an inspiration to us all.
  Pierre graduated from Salem High School in New Hampshire in 1994, and 
joined the Army in 1998, serving for thirteen months in Bosnia as a 
member of the U.N. peacekeeping force before being discharged in 2001. 
As a member of the Individual Ready Reserve, he was recalled in June of 
2005 to serve in Iraq. While he was overseas, he called his family 
every morning. In his final hours, they joined him at his bedside in 
Germany, and his mother accompanied him on his journey home to the 
United States after his tragic death.
  Pierre's family is proud of him for the supreme sacrifice he made on 
behalf of his country. He will always be remembered for his kindness, 
enthusiasm, his faith, and his desire for peace. He will be sorely 
missed.
  I have now requested that an American flag be flown over our United 
States Capitol in memory of Sergeant Pierre Raymond to honor his brave 
service to our country. This flag will be delivered to his family. 
Pierre died fighting for the country he loved, alongside comrades he 
respected and with the family he adored, forever in his heart. Our 
nation is humbled and grateful for his sacrifice.
  Mr. Speaker, we should all take a moment to recognize Sergeant Pierre 
A. Raymond, United States Army, who gave his life in service to his 
country.

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