[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 18 (Tuesday, February 5, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S615-S616]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                      Corporal Sean Andrew Stokes

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, tomorrow, Wednesday, February 6, at Camp 
Pendleton in my home State of California, one of the true heroes of our 
country will receive a rare and distinguished honor. On what would have 
been his 25th birthday, Marine Cpl Sean Andrew Stokes--and I show you 
that beautiful face in this picture--will be awarded the Silver Star 
for heroic actions performed in the line of duty during Operation 
Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq.
  From November 9 through November 18 of 2004, then-Private Stokes took 
the position of ``point'' in his platoon. That means he was the first 
Marine to enter a building and the first Marine to encounter whatever 
and whoever was inside. Bullets, grenades, and rockets were around 
every corner. For 9 days and nights, Sean fought insurgents in hand-to-
hand combat, in house after house, in building after building.
  Most of us would lose our sanity in such a place, but Sean kept his 
sanity with a simple prayer of thanks after coming out of each house 
alive.
  Word of Sean's actions over those days quickly spread. The History 
Channel made a documentary about the battle of Fallujah, and Sean's 
heroic actions were prominently featured.
  Embedded in Sean's platoon was Pat O'Donnell, a historian who wrote a 
critically acclaimed book, ``We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the 
Marines Who Took Fallujah.'' Mr. O'Donnell has said Sean hid his wounds 
on more than one occasion so he could stay with his Marine brothers 
rather than take the mandatory medical evacuation. He said:

       Sean always put others first before himself.

  Sean will be receiving the Silver Star tomorrow for his actions on 
his first tour. His father Gary conducted research, and as best as he 
can tell, Sean is the first Marine to be awarded the Silver Star for 
actions while a private since two Marine privates received such an 
honor during the Vietnam war.
  In September 2005, Sean returned to Iraq, once again at the front of 
his platoon, where he distinguished himself and was eventually promoted 
to corporal.
  Sean could have left the Marine Corps at the end of that tour. His 
father urged him to get out, but Sean said: What about everybody else? 
He felt the need to stick by his buddies who had stood by his side 
every single day in Iraq.
  In April of 2007, Sean went back for his third deployment. Sean's 
father wrote:

       He went back to Iraq to protect his best friend, Bradley 
     Adams, and because he wanted to be a Marine more than 
     anything else in life.

  Sean, along with Bradley, was assigned to the battalion commander's 
personal security detachment, a position reserved for elite and combat-
seasoned warriors. The two managed to eventually maneuver their way 
into the lead vehicle, once again taking point, which earned Sean the 
nickname ``Pathfinder.''
  That battalion commander told Gary Stokes his son had saved his life 
on numerous occasions, including on July 30, 2007, the day Sean Stokes 
died from an improvised explosive device attack while on patrol in Al 
Anbar Province.
  Over 820 men and women who were either from California or based in 
California have died in Iraq. This young and heroic Marine is one of 
them.
  Sean Stokes represented the best of the Marine Corps, the best of the 
United States, the best of California. He was born 25 years ago 
Wednesday in Fremont, CA. He grew up in the gold country of California 
in the town of Auburn.
  He was into cars and his dad says he had lots of them. When he 
returned from his first tour in Iraq, the people of Auburn learned he 
wanted to fix up his Honda Prelude, so they, the people of the town, 
put on some new rims, spruced it up, and made it look good--all free of 
charge--for Sean.
  He attended Bear River High School, where he played linebacker on the 
football team and the outfield on the baseball team.
  Upon learning that Sean died, Bear River retired his No. 51 football 
jersey, the first time the school has ever retired a number.
  Of his baseball ability, Sean's dad draws a parallel to a great home-
run hitter also born on Wednesday--Babe Ruth. He said it is no 
coincidence that he was the only kid on the all-star team to hit the 
ball out of Babe Ruth Baseball Park onto the nearby road, not once but 
three times.
  Sean's dad also says he was quite popular and had lots of 
girlfriends. But he had found true love and was engaged to Nicole 
Besier, a beautiful young girl who is also a Marine.
  Gary Stokes wrote to me about his son:

       Sean turned out to be a great fisherman and from the time 
     he was a little guy, he loved to fish. I remember taking Sean 
     camping, and that is all he wanted to do the entire time 
     during our camping trips and other outings and vacations. 
     Even though I understand that the Tigris River was polluted 
     and at times surrounded by terrorists, I would be surprised 
     if Sean did not throw in a fishing line a few times during 
     one of his three tours in Iraq.

  ``Sean, like his brother Kevin, is a great son,'' his father writes. 
We do have a photo, I believe, of Kevin. We are going to get out the 
photo to show the brothers together.

       Sean, like his brother Kevin, is a great son, and we always 
     would make sure to make time to do fun things together as 
     much as possible, like golf, fishing, or camping.

  This is a picture of Sean and his brother.
  His father continues:

       Sean and I made the commitment years ago to not be like the 
     father and son in the song ``Cats in the Cradle.'' Sean has 
     touched many lives during his short life and he was loved and 
     was respected by everyone whom he met.
       Sean's life was short, but it was full and he always gave 
     it his all in everything he did.

  Tomorrow's ceremony at Camp Pendleton honors the heroism and the 
bravery of Sean Stokes. Similar to the other Marines out at Camp 
Pendleton and the rest of the men and women in uniform around the 
world, he volunteered to carry the burden of protecting our beloved 
Nation.
  He fought for the man next to him and for the troops behind him, and 
he died in service to them. We owe him our gratitude. And we owe his 
family our gratitude and we owe the families of all the men and women 
who serve in harm's way our gratitude. We can never forget what they 
have sacrificed.
  I conclude as the Senator from California, we have lost so many. As a 
mother, as a grandmother, I will do everything, along with my 
colleagues, to bring our troops home and to spare others the deep grief 
this family has endured.
  I again thank Senator Kyl for his graciousness in allowing me to have 
this opportunity to pay tribute to Sean.

[[Page S616]]

  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from California for her 
remarks about Sean and his service to this country. He clearly 
represents all those marines, soldiers, and others who have given their 
lives and the many others who have been casualties of conflicts on 
behalf of the American people.
  We do, indeed, owe them our debt of gratitude and we, as 
policymakers, in the country owe them decisionmaking which ensures that 
their sacrifices will not have been in vain.

                          ____________________