[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 5, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S7067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING EARNELL LUSTER

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, every day, millions of American make 
sacrifices for their families and friends. Yet the man I honor today 
has made the ultimate sacrifice for neither kin nor kind. Earnell 
Luster is a former Marine and a great American. As a lifelong resident 
of Minneapolis, MN, he exemplified the role of a Good Samaritan within 
his community. Mr. Luster sacrificed his own life for the sake of 
another, and his bravery and courage makes him a hero.
  On February 15, 2007, Mr. Luster was walking by an apartment building 
in south Minneapolis when he came across two women who were being 
repeatedly beaten by a male attacker. Being the man he was, Mr. Luster 
could not walk away from what he was witnessing. He sprang into action 
by demanding the attacker halt his assault upon the women. By doing so, 
he gave the women enough time to escape their attacker. Tragically, the 
attacker turned his anger on Mr. Luster and delivered several blows to 
his head that proved to be fatal. That evening, in an act of true 
selflessness, Earnell Luster gave his life for another.
  His actions that evening exemplify the life he lived. As a well-
respected elder in his church and within his community, Mr. Luster 
lived a life full of joy, duty, and great conviction. His service to 
the Marines in the mid-1970s demonstrates the strength of his 
character. Mr. Luster enjoyed life, especially the opportunities that 
he had to go fishing with his twin brother Earnest.
  Earnell Luster's tragic death is evidence that crime can affect each 
one of us. Our commitment to fighting crime must not ebb and flow with 
the statistics.
  My thoughts and prayers remain with Earnell's twin brother Earnest, 
his mother Lorraine Scott, and his entire family. Mr. Luster's selfless 
act of bravery earns him a place in the hearts of Minnesotans and 
Americans everywhere.

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