[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 86 (Friday, May 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING OUR HEROES ON MEMORIAL DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE PENCE

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2008

  Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay a debt to those we 
could never repay . . . the brave men and women of the United States 
Armed Forces, both past and present. It was their duty to serve, and 
with Memorial Day 2008 on the horizon, it is our duty to remember.
  In a tradition that began just 3 years after the end of the Civil 
War, Americans set aside the 30th day of May each year to remember the 
sacrifice made by our service men and women who died while defending 
freedom.
  On May 30, 1868, flowers were placed on the graves of Union and 
Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. That practice has 
continued for over 130 years as millions of Americans have laid flowers 
on the graves of soldiers from World War II, Vietnam and as recently as 
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to pay special remembrance today to the 
soldiers, marines and guardsmen from the Sixth Congressional District 
of Indiana who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country in 
Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.


                  U.S. Service Members Killed in Iraq

  Matthew R. Smith: Smith died May 10, 2003, in a vehicle accident in 
Kuwait. Age: 20. Hometown: Anderson, Ind. Died: 05/10/2003. Service: 
Marine Corps. Rank: Lance Corporal (E-3). Unit: reservist, assigned to 
Detachment 1, Communications Company, Headquarters and Service 
Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group, Peru, Ind.
  Shawn D. Pahnke: Pahnke was killed June 16, 2003, by a sniper while 
on patrol. Age: 25. Hometown: Shelbyville, Ind. Died: 06/16/2003. 
Service: Army. Rank: Private (E-2). Unit: Company C, 1st Battalion, 
37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany.
  Chad L. Keith: Keith was killed July 7, 2003, when a roadside bomb 
exploded as his unit patrolled the streets of Baghdad. Age: 21. 
Hometown: Batesville, Ind. Died: 07/07/2003. Service: Army. Rank: 
Specialist (E-4). Unit: 2-325th Infantry, Company D, Fort Bragg, NC.
  Frederick L. Miller Jr.: Miller was killed Sept. 20, 2003, when an 
improvised explosive device hit his vehicle. Age: 27. Hometown: 
Hagerstown, Ind. Died: 09/20/2003. Service: Army. Rank: Staff Sergeant 
(E-6). Unit: Troop K, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort 
Carson, Colo.
  Robert E. Colvill, Jr.: Colvill was among five soldiers killed July 
8, 2004, in Baghdad. All were in the Iraqi National Guard Headquarters 
when it came under a mortar attack. Age: 31. Hometown: Anderson, Ind. 
Died: 07/08/2004. Service: Army. Rank: Sergeant (E-5). Unit: 1st 
Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, 
Germany.
  Raymond L. White: White died Nov. 12, 2004, in Baghdad when his 
patrol was attacked with small arms fire. Age: 22. Hometown: Elwood, 
Ind. Died: 11/12/2004. Service: Army. Rank: Specialist (E-4). Unit: 1st 
Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment (Armor), 1st Cavalry Division, Fort 
Hood, Texas.
  Scott Zubowski: Zubowski died when a roadside bomb exploded during 
combat operations near Fallujah in Iraq's Al Anbar province on Nov. 12, 
2005. Age: 20. Hometown: Manchester, Ind. Boyhood Hometown: New Castle, 
Ind. Died: 11/12/2005. Service: Marine Corps. Rank: Lance Corporal (E-
3). Unit: 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st 
Marine Expeditionary Force.
  Michael A. Bechert: Bechert was mortally wounded when his vehicle 
struck an improvised explosive device in Baghdad, Iraq on May 30, 2007. 
He was transferred to Fort Sam Houston Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, 
where he died on June 14, 2007. Age: 24. Hometown: Schweinfurt, 
Germany. Boyhood Hometown: New Castle, Ind. Died: 06/14/2007. Service: 
Army. Rank: Staff Sergeant (E-6). Unit: 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry 
Regiment, 2d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, 
Germany.
  Johnathan A. Lahmann: Lahmann was mortally wounded when a vehicle-
borne lED detonated near his vehicle in Bayji, Iraq on December 10, 
2007. He was transferred to Tikrit, Iraq, where he died later that day. 
Age: 21. Hometown: Richmond, Ind. Boyhood Hometown: Richmond, Ind. 
Died: 12/10/2007. Service: Army. Rank: Specialist (E-4). Unit: 59th 
Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort 
Hood, Texas.


               u.s service members killed in afghanistan

  Jeremy Wright: Wright died when an improvised explosive device struck 
his military vehicle. Age: 31. Hometown: Shelbyville, Ind. Died: 01/03/
2005. Service: Army. Rank: Sergeant (E-5). Unit: 2nd Battalion, 1st 
Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis, Washington.
  Michael Hiester: Hiester died when his military vehicle struck a land 
mine 30 miles west of Kabul, Afghanistan. Age: 33. Hometown: Bluffton, 
Ind. Died: 03/26/2005. Service: Indiana Army National Guard. Rank: 
Master Sergeant (E-8). Unit: 76th Infantry Brigade, Army National 
Guard, Indianapolis.
  Mr. Speaker, these brave men, like those who went before them, made 
the ultimate sacrifice so that Americans can enjoy the freedoms we 
treasure.
  It was their duty to serve; it is our duty to remember.

                          ____________________