[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 56 (Friday, March 30, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E707-E708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN REMEMBRANCE OF SERGEANT ALESSANDRO CARBONARO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 29, 2007

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and remember 
Marine Sergeant Alessandro Carbonaro. He served his country tirelessly 
until his death on May 10, 2006. The loss of this young, dedicated hero 
is felt by not only those who knew him, but also those who have been 
touched by the life that he led.
  Sgt. Carbonaro was raised in Bethesda, Maryland, the only child of 
Fulvio and Gilda Carbonaro. He was a private, headstrong, and 
independent child who held his family dear. Over the years, Sgt. 
Carbonaro developed a passion for music, history, and writing. After 
graduating from Sandy Spring Friends School, Sgt. Carbonaro shocked his 
family and friends by volunteering to join the United States Marine 
Corps. He told his parents that he felt a strong sense of duty to his 
country and wanted to live the life that he envisioned.
  Sgt. Carbonaro enlisted in the Marine Corps during the summer of 
1998. He initially committed himself to five years of active duty. 
After September 11, 2001, however, his resolve strengthened and he felt 
an obligation to reenlist. Sgt. Carbonaro set his sights on the elite 
Marines Reconnaissance Unit, a status obtained by fewer than one in 
five who attempts it. By September 2004, he had been deployed to Iraq 
with the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion. Sgt. Carbonaro was eventually 
awarded the Purple Heart.
  Upon completion of his first deployment, Sgt. Carbonaro returned to 
Maryland and married Gilda Maria Arroyo on May 28, 2005. In March 2006, 
he returned to Iraq and was chosen to lead a unit of younger Marines. 
Sgt. Carbonaro did not regard these men as soldiers, but as brothers. 
His moral and physical strength made him the backbone of the unit. On 
May 1, 2006, when his unit's vehicles hit

[[Page E708]]

an explosive device, his first concerns were for his fellow Marines.
  Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring and 
remembering Marine Sergeant Alessandro Carbonaro, who exemplified the 
ideals put forth by the Reconnaissance Creed--Honor, Perseverance, 
Spirit, and Heart. Please also join me in expressing my deepest 
condolences to his parents, his young wife, Gilda, and his extended 
family and friends. Although Sgt. Carbonaro will be profoundly missed, 
his unwavering devotion to his family and country will live on in the 
hearts of those who were touched by the life of this fallen hero.

                          ____________________