[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6544-S6545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO VERMONT FALLEN

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, words and numbers are often used on this 
floor to describe the ongoing war in Iraq. In recent weeks, we have 
found ourselves debating the policy decisions that created the current 
climate in Iraq, the current strategy in Baghdad, and the policy shifts 
that need to occur to bring our men and women home. We frequently cite 
the fast-rising numbers of military fatalities and injuries and the 
growing number of innocent civilian deaths.
  A central element of this picture and of this discussion should 
always be the sacrifices and the suffering of the families at home. 
Vermont, small State that we are, bears the burden of the highest 
fatality rate in the country, with more deaths per capita in Iraq than 
any other State. These losses have left dozens of families searching 
for comfort as they mourn their loved ones.
  But in the darkest and saddest of times, a new Vermont family has 
emerged, brought together by the efforts of students at Norwich 
University, the Nation's oldest military college, which calls 
Northfield, VT, its home. ``Vermont Fallen,'' developed and produced by 
students at Norwich for a media course, profiles the journeys of 
families from across our State as they grieve the loss of their sons, 
fathers, husbands, and friends. Many of these families, brought 
together by community screenings of the documentary, now are able to 
turn to each other for comfort.
  With this remarkable project, these students from Norwich 
University--many of whom have friends, family, and colleagues serving 
on the front lines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan--have given a 
great gift to these families and to us all. They have honored in this 
special way those from Vermont who have fallen and they have offered a 
glimpse into the searing and highly personal grief and mourning that 
have touched thousands of American families and scores of American 
communities, across Vermont and across the country. They have produced 
a tribute that speaks directly to each human heart.
  NBC's ``Today'' recently aired a segment about ``Vermont Fallen.'' I 
ask unanimous consent that the transcript be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:

                        NBC's Today--May 9, 2007

Class project by students at Norwich University pays tribute to Vermont 
                 soldiers lost in Iraq and Afghanistan

       ANCHORS: DAVID GREGORY
       REPORTERS: DAWN FRATANGELO
       DAVID GREGORY, co-host:
       Vermont has lost more soldiers per capita in Iraq than any 
     other state. Now students at Vermont's Norwich University, 
     the nation's oldest military academy, are paying tribute in a 
     unique way. Here's NBC's Dawn Fratangelo.
       (Beginning of clip of ``Vermont Fallen'')
       Unidentified Woman #1: I screamed and said, `No, not Eric. 
     My only boy.'
       Unidentified Woman #2: Colonel Williams told me immediately 
     that Mark didn't make it.
       (End of clip)
       DAWN FRATANGELO reporting:
       Three of them were named Mark. There were also three 
     Chrises. Half of them were under the age of 24. They are the 
     Vermont fallen, 25 men from this small state killed in Iraq 
     and Afghanistan. Now, subjects of a powerful documentary told 
     through the shattered families left behind.
       Unidentified Man: (From ``Vermont Fallen'') You're upset 
     with everybody when your son dies, and you don't think 
     rationally. I don't know if I'll ever think rationally again.
       FRATANGELO: There was something more here than just the raw 
     pain and tears you see on screen. It's about those behind the 
     camera, and the incredible bond that it formed.
       So as young filmmakers, were you intimidated at all about 
     approaching these families?
       Ms. AMANDA BENSON: Yes. Absolutely.
       FRATANGELO: Amanda Benson and Steve Robitaille, along with 
     Craig McGrath, are the senior producers of the film. They're 
     students--college students at Norwich University in 
     Northfield, Vermont, the nation's oldest military school. The 
     film was their media project. But Amanda knew from that first 
     interview, this was more than just school work.
       Ms. BENSON: So walking into it, I really didn't think too 
     much of it. But after about

[[Page S6545]]

     maybe 25 minutes, you know, sitting right across from Marion, 
     she started crying, and then I would start crying.
       Unidentified Woman #3: (From ``Vermont Fallen'') My last 
     words to him . . .
       Ms. BENSON: No way did we think we'd be so emotionally 
     involved in the interview.
       FRATANGELO: Word spread, and eventually the students, 
     guided by Professor Bill Estill . . .
       Professor BILL ESTILL: Go frame by frame.
       FRATANGELO: . . . had 50 hours worth of interviews with 
     families all over Vermont. Every interview is heartbreaking.
       Mr. CRAIG McGRATH: This is Patty Holmes, whose son Jeffrey 
     was a lance corporal in the Marines, was killed in Iraq.
       Ms. PATTY HOLMES: (From ``Vermont Fallen'') When he had 
     been home in April, I said, `Jeff, I have to ask you 
     something.' And he goes `What?' `I have to ask you for your 
     forgiveness.' And he said `Why?' And I said, `Because I 
     wasn't the mother I wanted to be.' All he did was hug me, and 
     he told me he loved me.
       FRATANGELO: Patty Holmes, and her husband Scott would have 
     never guessed that simply taking part in this project would 
     help them heal.
       Ms. HOLMES: I just felt that nobody knew how I felt, and 
     nobody could possibly understand. And meeting these other 
     families, they understand.
       FRATANGELO: Because of a documentary, all the families get 
     together now for dinners, a trip to Washington, mostly for 
     support.
       It's as though this--being involved in this gave you 
     permission to sort of let . . .
       Mr. SCOTT HOLMES: Let your heart out. Let your heart--let 
     the world know how you feel.
       FRATANGELO: And people are listening. The film is being 
     shown at the same high schools the fallen servicemen 
     attended.
       While the students at Norwich were documenting the pain of 
     the Vermont families, they themselves were not immune to it. 
     Four of their classmates have been killed in Iraq.
       Ms. BENSON: Thank you to both--for I guess, is the second 
     family for some of us.
       FRATANGELO: All this talk about loss has made the young 
     filmmakers reflect on their own lives. Steve will join the 
     military after graduation. Amanda's sister is about to be 
     deployed.
       Have you had these conversations with your sister?
       Ms. BENSON: Not yet.
       FRATANGELO: Will you?
       Ms. BENSON: Yeah, I think so. But I really, I just--I can't 
     imagine.
       FRATANGELO: No one imagined the lessons of this class 
     project.
       Mr. STEVE ROBITAILLE: Just unbelievable feeling knowing 
     that you didn't just make a documentary, you know, you 
     changed people's lives, and they changed ours.
       FRATANGELO: Changed lives. Twenty-five families sat before 
     cameras to talk about lost loved ones, and a new family 
     emerged. For TODAY, Dawn Fratangelo, NBC News, Northfield, 
     Vermont.

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