[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 20, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S6149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES
Lieutenant Colonel Charles E. Munier
Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I wish today to express our Nation's
deepest thanks and gratitude to a special man and his family. I
recently received word of the untimely death of LTC Charles Munier of
Wheatland, WY, while serving his country in the war on terrorism.
Lieutenant Colonel Munier passed away on Monday, June 12, 2006, at
Walter Reed Hospital following a stroke suffered while serving in
Afghanistan where he was helping to train the Afghan army.
Lieutenant Colonel Munier served in Wyoming National Guard as
facilities manager for Camp Guernsey, Wyoming's training center for
both Guard and Active-Duty military. He is remembered by his brother
soldiers as a pivotal member of the Camp Guernsey staff and an
outstanding officer who took his duties as a citizen soldier very
seriously. In his civilian life, Lieutenant Colonel Munier worked for
the Platte County Sheriff's Office as the jail administrator.
Lieutenant Colonel Munier epitomized the ethos of the citizen
soldier. He did not hesitate to put down the plowshare and pick up the
rifle when his country needed him. It is because of people like Charles
Munier that we continue to live safe and free. America's men and women
who answer the call of service and wear our Nation's uniform deserve
respect and recognition for the enormous burden that they willingly
bear. They put everything on the line every day, and because of these
folks, our Nation remains free and strong in the face of danger.
Lieutenant Colonel Munier is survived by his wife Nancy, his daughter
Victoria Rice, and her husband Tim, and his brothers and sisters in
arms of the Wyoming National Guard. Today we say goodbye to a husband,
a father, and an American soldier. Our Nation pays its deepest respect
to LTC Charles E. Munier for his courage, his love of country, and his
sacrifice, so that we may remain free. He was a hero in life, and he
remains a hero in death. All of Wyoming and, indeed, the entire Nation
are proud of him.
____________________