[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 9, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E46]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       ARMY SPECIALIST JOHN PAUL BARTA: SOUTH TEXAN LOST IN IRAQ

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                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 9, 2007

  Mr. ORTIZ. Madam Speaker, since this House last met before Christmas, 
another South Texan from my Congressional District has fallen in battle 
in Iraq, and I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this life lost 
in the service of our Nation.
  Army SPC John Paul Barta, 25, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th 
Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division out of Ft. Hood, 
Texas. He never saw Christmas Eve; he was killed in Buhriz, Iraq, about 
30 miles north of Baghdad, during combat operations on Dec. 23.
  Madam Speaker, each time we lose a soldier--a member of our American 
family--we lose a little piece of ourselves. Each time, it is just 
unbearable. Let me tell you more about this noble patriot who gave the 
last full measure of devotion to the nation he loved.
  An exceptional athlete, Specialist Barta was remembered as a well-
mannered and respectful young man. He attended Flour Bluff High School 
in Corpus Christi, excelling on both the baseball and football fields.
  Throughout his 4-year teenage athletic career, coaches and teammates 
in both sports knew him as a go-to player who came through even when 
the odds were long. This star baseball player also gently mentored his 
teammates. From time to time he was known as a perfectionist.
  And while he was a natural competitor depended upon by teammates for 
the big play, he confided to a friend months ago about the ever-present 
fear of serving in Iraq. He was humble and he was competitive; 
precisely the type of person you'd want to wear the sacred uniform of 
the United States.
  Specialist Barta is survived by his wife, Eun Ji, of Killeen; his 
mother, Laurie Barta, brothers Josh and Billy Ray Barta, and 
grandparents Adolph Barta, of Corpus Christi, and Jackie and Larry 
Blake of Milton, FL.
  Everyone in the greater South Texas community will miss him, but 
nobody will miss him like his family. We mourn with this family; we 
lift up our broken hearts in gratitude to his family, and we all want 
to see the end of the war in Iraq.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the House to join me in honoring Army SPC John 
Paul Barta and his service on behalf of the United States and to offer 
our thanks and our deepest sympathy to the family of this warrior, who 
gave the last full measure of devotion to our Nation and the United 
States Army.

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