[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN TIMOTHY McGOVERN, U.S. ARMY, OF IDAVILLE, 
                                INDIANA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE DONNELLY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 5, 2007

  Mr. DONNELLY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor U.S. Army Captain 
Timothy McGovern of Idaville, Indiana, who died on October 31, 2007 
while serving in Mosul, Iraq. Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th 
Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Tim 
was leading his troops in a mission clearing roads of IEDs when his 
group came under fire and his Bradley was hit by a roadside bomb. Today 
I would like to take a moment to mourn a well-lived life cut tragically 
short.
  After moving to Idaville as a teen, Tim graduated from Twin Lakes 
High School in 1997 where he excelled in honors classes and was a star 
in football and track. Even at that point it was clear what Tim was 
going to do with his life, as his former football coach commented, ``It 
didn't surprise me at all when he joined the armed forces and became an 
officer . . . that was just the kind of guy he was.'' And it probably 
didn't surprise anyone, for a career in the Army was in Tim's blood: 
just a year before he graduated from high school, his father Bill 
retired from the Army having achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
  Tim started on that path immediately following high school, when he 
joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps while attending Purdue 
University. Less than two years after his graduation from Purdue in 
2001, Tim set off to serve the first of his two tours of duty in Iraq. 
``He was on his very first tour when the war in Iraq started, and when 
he came home, (he) didn't hesitate to do another,'' his uncle Mike 
recalls.
  Although Tim was in the process of buying a house in El Paso, Texas, 
his heart remained with his family in Idaville and with the Chicago 
Bears. During his second tour of duty in Iraq, Tim was given a two-week 
pass to return home to the United States. He made sure to return home 
for the Superbowl, and Tim's parents will never forget their last 
moments spent at home with their beloved son. ``He was a Bears fan,'' 
his mother Jonell said. ``He was one of the few rooting for the Bears, 
him and his grandmother. That's going to stay in our minds for a really 
long time.''
  But if his heart was with his family, his passion and purpose was 
with the Army. As captain of a ninety-member company, Tim showed 
exemplary dedication to his duties as an officer and to the safety and 
well-being of his men. His mother noted, ``He said the thing he was the 
most proud of was that he had not sent anybody home injured and that 
nobody had been killed from his group. To him, that meant he was doing 
his job.'' Safety did not mean staying away from where the action was, 
however. He assumed command of Company E from Captain Tim Hudson, who 
said ``We both chose to go to El Paso and Fort Bliss, and we both came 
here for the same reason. And that was to come out here and command 
soldiers in combat.'' Having commanded Company E for twenty months, 
Captain Hudson could only praise Tim's work upon assuming command in 
June. ``I put my heart and soul into this company,'' Hudson said. ``And 
after he took over, Echo Company only got better.''
  What was Tim's secret to being an excellent commander? He may well 
have shared it with 1st Lieutenant Michael Holbrook. ``He told me there 
was no greater honor than leading American soldiers in combat. I'm 
going to remember that until the day I hang up my uniform.''
  A private man, Tim would not have wanted all the attention placed on 
his life. ``He wouldn't have liked this,'' said his mother. ``He would 
have wanted people to be thinking about the other soldiers still over 
there fighting.'' For that reason, I wish to remember those soldiers 
Tim commanded in Echo Company still serving in Mosul, and all those 
serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Indeed, may we keep all those in the 
Armed Forces in our hearts and prayers as a way of honoring and 
remembering Tim's outstanding service and loyal dedication to our great 
nation.

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