[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11623-S11624]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                         Jerko ``Jerry'' Zovko

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise this evening to pay tribute to 
Jerko Zovko, a civilian contractor from Cleveland, who was killed on 
March 31, 2004, while doing his security work in Iraq.
  Jerko--or ``Jerry,'' as he was known by his family and friends--could 
be described as many things. He was a family man who maintained a close 
relationship with his parents, brother, and others in his Croatian 
community outside Cleveland. He was extremely bright, being fluent in 
five languages. He was extraordinarily brave, having served as an elite 
Army Ranger in Bosnia and Kuwait and then as a private security agent 
in Iraq.
  Perhaps best described by his mother, Danica, ``Jerry was a man with 
a principle and ideals. . . . He loved people. He wanted the world to 
be without borders, for everyone to be free and safe.'' Jerry gave his 
life for what he believed in, for a people who he thought deserved 
their freedom.
  Born in Cleveland and raised in Euclid, OH, Jerry and his younger 
brother Tom cultivated their Croatian heritage through their tight-knit 
family and community. Jerry attended St. Christine School and then 
Euclid High School, where he played soccer. In his free time, he worked 
with his father at the family auto body shop. Known as a skinny kid 
growing up, no one could have predicted that he would grow into the 
hulking military man as his family lovingly described him.
  Following high school, Jerry went to Ohio State University with the 
intention of becoming a doctor. However, his aspirations changed after 
a life-altering trip to his family's homeland of Croatia when the 
country was achieving its independence from the former Yugoslavia. 
Jerry predicted correctly that conflict was about to erupt in his 
family's homeland, and he wanted to be ready. He returned to the United 
States and enlisted in the Army when he was 19 years old.
  Jerry was dedicated to the idea of universal freedom and he lived his 
life in pursuit of that goal. Jerry spent 8 years in the Army as a 
member of the elite Army Rangers and served mostly overseas, including 
in Bosnia and Kuwait. His personality shone through in whatever he did. 
Army buddies remembered with fondness how Jerry built a swimming pool 
on the roof of the barracks and how he would zip around the base on a 
motorcycle with a sidecar.
  Not wanting to worry his family, Jerry used to tell his parents that 
he never saw combat because he was ``just a cook.'' Though he knew his 
parents constantly feared for his safety, Jerry continued to risk his 
life for the good of others.
  After being discharged as a Sergeant from the Army in 2001, Jerry 
joined Blackwater Security--a private security company--and worked for 
some time in Dubai. Jerry then decided that the Iraqi people needed his 
help. His family pleaded with him not to go, but in their hearts they 
knew that Jerry would do what he believed was right.

[[Page S11624]]

His brother Tom recalled Jerry's independent streak and that no one 
could stop him from doing what he set out to do. His mother remembered 
a talk they had before Jerry left in which he told her that he was 
needed in Iraq and that we all need to support our troops and stay 
united.
  While working in Iraq, the newly freed people were Jerry's first 
priority. He started to learn and speak Arabic, because as he said, he 
wanted to help the Iraqis and he wanted to do it on their terms. Jerry 
worked in a number of hotspots in Iraq and never shied away from a 
tough job.
  Jerry eventually lost his life while guarding a food truck in 
Fallujah. Like the way he lived his life, Jerry lost his in the service 
of others.
  I had the privilege of attending the calling hours for Jerry and am 
grateful for the chance to talk to Jerry's family about their son, 
brother, and friend. I thank them for sharing their memories with me.
  We will never forget Jerry Zovko. It became apparent, in talking with 
his family, that Jerry will forever live on in the hearts and minds of 
his parents Danica and Jozo and his brother Tom. Jerry touched the 
lives of everyone he met, whether they were family, members of the 
Croatian community, Army buddies, or people living on the other side of 
the world.
  May we all remember this great American hero.
  My wife Fran and I continue to keep his family in our thoughts and in 
our prayers.
  Mr. President, since February 2002, I have come to this floor to 
honor and to remember the brave Ohio men and women who have died 
fighting for our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has been my very 
sad duty to give 153 of those speeches.
  These courageous servicemembers--with the many faces of Ohio, the 
many faces of America--came from the smallest villages in our State and 
came from the largest cities. Some came from our farms. Some were born 
in Ohio and in America. But others were born in foreign lands far away. 
Some were 18 or 19 years old. Some were in their forties. 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, Mr. President, Members of the Senate, 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 
gaping hole 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 when we lose a servicemember there is, as 
Ronald Reagan said, a tear in the fabric that holds us all, holds us 
all as Americans, and holds us together, and that there is really no 
way to repair it.
  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.
  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.
  That is exactly what I have tried to do these past few years, 
speaking about these brave and courageous Ohioans. It is about honoring 
and remembering each of these truly unique, wonderful souls. Our Nation 
is proud of them. They lived their lives well, with great purpose and 
commitment and love of family and country. And for that, we will never 
forget them.
  I would say to the families of those who have died in Iraq, 
Afghanistan, training exercises, service to our country, that I will 
remember them and I will think about them until the day I die.

                          ____________________