[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 27, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1287]]
             TRIBUTE TO CAPTAIN JAMES ALEXANDER FUNKHOUSER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL T. McCAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 27, 2006

  Mr. McCAUL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Captain James 
Alexander Funkhouser, a brave soldier and fallen hero from Katy, Texas.
  Captain Funkhouser was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry 
Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in Fort 
Hood, and he was their Headquarters and Company Commander in Iraq.
  The son of a 31-year Army Veteran, Captain Funkhouser was born in 
Okinawa, Japan, but he eventually became a Texan, graduated from 
Southwest Texas State University in 1999 and was commissioned as a 
Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
  Captain Funkhouser spent the next six years stationed in Vilseck, 
Germany, Fort Knox, KY, Fort Polk, LA and finally to Fort Hood, TX 
where he was then deployed with his unit to Baghdad, Iraq in early 
December 2005.
  A highly decorated soldier and American hero, Captain Funkhouser's 
decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf 
Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Army 
Achievement Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal, 
National Defense Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Global War on 
Terrorism Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officers 
Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service 
Ribbon, NATO Medal, the Parachutist Badge, the Purple Heart and the 
Bronze Star.
  During a reconnaissance operation in Baghdad, Captain Funkhouser, his 
Iraqi interpreter and two CBS reporters were killed when a vehicle-
borne improvised explosive devise detonated near his Humvee.
  Captain Funkhouser loved his country, and he gave his life defending 
America and the freedom and opportunity for which our flag flies.
  Captain Funkhouser is survived by his wife, Jennifer; daughters, 
Kaitlyn and Allison; parents, Col. (Ret.) and Mrs. James Alexander 
Funkhouser, Sr.; grandmother, Oneita Funkhouser; parents-in-law, Henry 
and Rosemary Garza and numerous extended family members, friends and 
fellow soldiers of the United States Army.

                          ____________________