[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 10, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E63]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE BRAVERY AND SACRIFICE OF NATHANIEL AGUIRRE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 10, 2007

  Mr. MARCHANT. Madam Speaker, it has been said that a hero is someone 
who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with their 
freedom. Nathaniel Aguirre, 21 years old, certainly understood that 
degree of responsibility.
  At just 17, Nathaniel enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and 
attended basic combat training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. After graduating 
from Creekview High School, he completed additional military training 
and was deployed to Iraq in December 2005.
  On the morning of October 22, 2006, Nathaniel was on combat patrol in 
a village in western Baghdad. After his detachment encountered enemy 
fire, they confronted the enemy head on in a fight that would 
tragically cost Nathaniel his life. On that morning, a hero was not 
born--a hero was revealed.
  Nathaniel leaves behind his parents and treasured younger sister 
Melissa, who had known her brother as a hero long before it was 
revealed to the rest of us.
  Among the many honors bestowed in memory of his heroic acts, 
Nathaniel was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple 
Heart, and the Army Good Conduct Medal. While these honors will never 
bring him back, they serve as markers in our Nation's history, 
identifying Nathaniel Aguirre as an American who understood his degree 
of responsibility to our Nation and his fellow Americans.

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