[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 168 (Thursday, November 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S13678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                     Staff Sergeant Larry I. Rougle

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise in remembrance of SSG Larry I. 
Rougle of West Valley City. It is my privilege to speak regarding the 
tremendous sacrifice of this honored soldier.
  On October 23, 2007, in the Kunar Province in Afghanistan, Sergeant 
Rougle died when his battalion encountered enemy fire. He was assigned 
to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne 
Brigade. At the time of his death, he was only 25 years old. However, 
the sergeant had already given seven honorable years of service to the 
U.S. Army and been deployed on several tours of duty to Afghanistan and 
Iraq.
  Graduating early from high school at the age of 17, Sergeant Rougle 
told his father that he had made the important decision to enter into 
military service. The sergeant's family said that he loved what he did, 
and that his main purpose was to help the poor people in war-torn 
countries.
  He followed a great family military legacy. His father Ismael Rougle 
served in the Army for 25 years, which included a tour in Vietnam, and 
his son wanted to follow in his father's footsteps from a very young 
age. As a child, Sergeant Rougle would emulate his father by dressing 
up in his father's uniforms.
  Sergeant Rougle was scheduled to come home for a midtour leave to 
celebrate his father's birthday and planned to take his 3-year-old 
daughter Carmin to Disneyland. By all accounts, he loved his daughter 
more than anything. Over the years, young Carmin will learn that her 
father was not just a great man--he was a hero.
  It is our responsibility to never forget heroes like Sergeant Rougle. 
May his sacrifice always solemnly echo within us.

                          ____________________