[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 3, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMENDING THE 1ST BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM/34TH INFANTRY DIVISION OF THE 
                        MINNESOTA NATIONAL GUARD

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. COLLIN C. PETERSON

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 1, 2007

  Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, today, with the passage of H. 
Con. Res. 185, we honor the brave young men and women from the 
Minnesota National Guard who returned home this past summer from a 22-
month deployment, the longest of any combat unit during Operation Iraqi 
Freedom.
  I want to recognize these citizen-soldiers, because that is what they 
truly are--citizens first, soldiers second. They have full time jobs, 
families to take care of and daily commitments that regular army 
soldiers don't have.
  When these men and women were initially deployed, no one imagined 
they would be gone for so long and so often. Some of them spent close 
to a year in Bosnia before being deployed to Iraq.
  The soldiers of the Minnesota National Guard performed their duties 
admirably. They knew their mission and I know from my personal 
experience with these men and women that they would always do more than 
what was asked of them.
  Today I also would also like to recognize the families of the 
Minnesota National Guard. They were not in harm's way, but they woke up 
every day worrying, not knowing what that day would bring for their 
loved ones. They didn't enlist, but they shared the daily effects of 
this war.
  I also want to thank the families of the fallen soldiers. These 
families have sacrificed more than anyone could have imagined. We thank 
you for giving us one of your own to defend this great Nation from its 
enemies and we honor all who believe that doing your duty is a noble 
act.
  I would like to enter for the Record the names of the Minnesota 
National Guard soldiers who lost their lives: Staff Sergeant David Day 
of Saint Louis Park, MN; First Lieutenant Jason Timmerman of Tracy, MN; 
Sergeant Jesse Lhotka of Alexandria, MN; Specialist Brent Koch of 
Morton, MN; Specialist Kyle Miller of Willmar, MN; Sergeant Joshua 
Hanson of Dent, MN; Specialist Bryan McDonough of Maplewood, MN; 
Specialist Corey Rystad of Red Lake Falls, MN; Sergeant James Wosika of 
Saint Paul, MN; Sergeant Greg Reiwer of Frazee, MN; and Sergeant Joshua 
Schmit of Willmar, MN.
  I ask my colleagues to remember these brave soldiers, their sacrifice 
on behalf of all of us, and the family they leave behind in Minnesota. 
You all will be missed but not forgotten.
  Once again, I congratulate the Minnesota National Guard and the first 
Brigade Combat team on a job well done and thank all the men and women 
who have served the State of Minnesota and the Nation as members of the 
Minnesota National Guard. We are thankful you are home.

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