[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 135 (Wednesday, September 12, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S11502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SALUTING THE AUGUSTINE AND STRASSER FAMILIES

 Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, today I call to the attention of 
my colleagues three very special families from Rose Hill, IA, and their 
extraordinary contributions to our Nation.
  First, a little bit of background. As we all know, the National Guard 
and the Reserves have been shouldering a huge share of the combat 
burden in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are not only away from their 
families, they are also away from their employers. Bear in mind that 
these are citizen soldiers. In civilian life, they are teachers, 
firefighters, farmers, attorneys, and members of just about every other 
profession. And when they are deployed, their employers also have to 
make sacrifices.
  Every year, the Department of Defense presents its Freedom Award to a 
small number of employers that go above and beyond the call of duty in 
supporting employees who are deployed with the Guard or Reserve. This 
year, one of those employers is Augustine & Sons farm in Rose Hill, IA.
  Augustine & Sons is not one of those big corporate conglomerate 
farms. We are talking about a family farm owned and worked by brothers 
Dan and Mike Augustine. They are the sixth generation of the Augustines 
to farm this land since it was homesteaded in 1852. They have just two 
employees on the farm, and one of those employees is Matthew Strasser, 
a first sergeant with the Iowa National Guard who is on his second 
deployment overseas. First Sergeant Strasser previously served in 
Kosovo, and he is now deployed in Afghanistan.
  The next time we see one of those bumper stickers that says, 
``Support Our Troops,'' we should think of the Augustine families. When 
First Sergeant Strasser left for Afghanistan, the Augustines lost one-
half of their two-man workforce. But the Augustine brothers have 
continued to pay his entire salary, including an annual bonus. The 
Strasser family continues to live rent-free in a house on the farm. The 
Augustine families look in on the Strassers like they are just one big 
family--helping with chores, taking the boys fishing, and much more.
  It is just an extraordinary story of good, decent people going the 
extra mile--I should say, the extra 100 miles--to extend a helping hand 
and to be endlessly generous. The Augustines may have a relatively 
small farm, but they have very big hearts.
  The Augustine and Strasser families are in Washington today, and the 
Augustines will be presented with a 2007 Freedom Award at a special 
dinner this evening. It was a great honor to have them at my weekly 
constituent breakfast this morning. I had the pleasure of meeting Dan 
Augustine, his wife Teresa and son Ryan; Mike Augustine, his wife 
Leesa, and son Caitlin; and Jessica Strasser, the wife of 1SG Matthew 
Strasser, and their sons Reece and Tyler.
  I am sure that the entire Senate joins me in saluting 1SG Matthew 
Strasser for his courageous service in Afghanistan and also for the 
sacrifices on the homefront by Jessica Strasser and their sons. We also 
are deeply grateful to the Augustine families for their generosity and 
their very special brand of patriotism.
  Yesterday, Americans commemorated the anniversary of the September 
11, 2007, attacks. It has always struck me that those attacks, which 
represented humanity at its very worst, have led to so many acts of 
generosity and sacrifice that represent humanity at its very best. The 
Augustine and Strasser families make me very proud to be an American, 
and it was wonderful to meet them this morning.

                          ____________________