[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 94 (Tuesday, July 18, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7741-S7742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      OHIO FALLEN HEROES MEMORIAL

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, my wife Fran and I recently attended a 
very moving memorial dedication ceremony in Sunbury, OH, to honor and 
to remember the brave Ohio men and women who have died fighting for our 
country in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[[Page S7742]]

  These courageous service members--with the many faces of Ohio--came 
from the smallest villages in our state and from the largest cities. 
Some came from our farms. Some were born here in Ohio and in America. 
Others came to this state and this country from many, many miles away. 
Some were 18 or 19 years old. Some were in their 40s.
  Some were Privates and Lance Corporals, while one was a Lieutenant 
Colonel. Some joined the military as a result of the September 11 
attacks, while others planned on a career in the military from their 
youngest days, marching around as small children in their fathers' 
uniforms. Some had seen a lot out of life, while for others--most of 
them, really--their lives had just begun.
  All of them, though, shared something in common. All of them changed 
lives in countless ways, leaving enormous impacts on their families and 
their friends and their loved ones. Their absence leaves a gapping 
whole in the lives of those left behind. And while that makes it very 
hard, we also know that the world is a better place because these brave 
men and women were a part of it. It is a better place because they 
lived.
  We are all so very fortunate to have had them in our lives for the 
all too brief time that we did. And for that, we are eternally 
grateful.
  We, as citizens, will never be able to repay these Ohioans for their 
service. We know that when we lose a service member, there is a tear in 
the fabric that holds us all, as Americans, together, and there really 
is no way to repair that. President Theodore Roosevelt perhaps put it 
best when he said, ``Their blood and their toil, their endurance and 
patriotism, have made us and all who come after us forever their 
debtors.''
  We are, indeed, in their debt.
  I did not personally know any of these men and women we honored in 
Sunbury at that memorial. I did not personally know any of these men 
and women who died in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and men and women who I 
have come to the floor tonight to honor or who I have come to the floor 
on other nights to honor. But I have spoken with many of their 
families. I have talked to many of their friends and comrades, and have 
read a great deal about each one of them. They were all unique--each 
with their own special story to tell.
  One Marine worked as a police officer before going to Iraq. He would 
bring disco balls into his police cruiser to make his partner laugh and 
sometimes brought smiley faces into jail to entertain the inmates.
  Another Marine was in the high school marching band. During one 
football game, he forgot his sousaphone and decided to march with the 
only available instrument in the band room--a banjo.
  One soldier's parents remember their son following them around the 
house at a young age, with his arms out, saying, ``Big hug, big hug.''
  Another young man was a delegate to Buckeye Boys' State--a 
prestigious honor for high school students.
  Several enjoyed riding their dirt bikes and fixing up cars. Some 
played sports. Some were in drama club. Others liked to play games, 
such as Scrabble.
  Many married their high school sweethearts.
  All of them made of our lives just a little bit brighter. They made 
us smile. They filled their loved ones' lives with great joy and 
happiness.
  The recently dedicated memorial in Sunbury, OH, stands as a moving 
tribute and a lasting testament to these men and women and to their 
courage, honor, and sacrifice. They have stood tall in the fight 
against tyranny, aggression, and terrorism.
  As John F. Kennedy once said, ``A Nation reveals itself not only by 
the men [and women] it produces, but also by the men [and women] it 
honors [and] remembers.'' And that--that is exactly what this memorial 
is all about. It is about honoring and remembering each of these truly 
unique, wonderful souls.
  Our Nation is proud of these Ohio men and women. They lived their 
lives well--with great purpose and commitment and love of family and 
country. And for that, we will never forget them.

                          ____________________