[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 97 (Thursday, June 12, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5586-S5587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                          Major Scott Hagerty

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to a very special 
person, one of our fallen heroes, MAJ Scott Hagerty. I feel a very 
personal relationship with this man. As we all do when we hear of a 
tragic loss, we research and see what he was doing,

[[Page S5587]]

where he was. It is almost impossible to conceive of the idea that 
maybe I didn't even meet him personally because, in looking at where he 
was in Afghanistan and when he was there, where he was in Iraq and when 
he was there--I was there at the same time. Ironically, even in 
northern Uganda. Not many people even know where Uganda is, but in a 
minute I will share a few things that are going on there and what Scott 
Hagerty was doing.
  Scott died on June 3, 2008. He gave his last full measure when an 
improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while he was on 
patrol in Zormat, Afghanistan. Scott was a member of the Army Reserve 
and was assigned to the 451st Civil Affairs Battalion, Pasadena, TX.
  Born and raised in Oklahoma, Scott graduated from Stillwater High 
School in 1984. As a senior in high school, he joined the U.S. Army at 
the rank of a specialist. He earned a bachelor's degree in political 
science, pre-law, and international relations from Oklahoma State 
University--OSU--in 1993.
  He received his commission through the ROTC program and then 
completed the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill. After 
serving on active duty, he continued his service in the Army Reserve. 
He spent 11 years with the 291st Regiment in Oklahoma before 
transferring to the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological 
Operations Command, Airborne, in 2004.
  Scott married his wife, Daphne, 12 years ago. They have two sons, 
Jonathan 10 years old and Samuel 21 months. Scott loved his family and 
enjoyed being a father. He spent his life helping others gain the same 
freedoms and experience the same joys that he had.
  Scott was deployed for a 12 month tour in South Korea and then served 
in Iraq from October 2004 to August 2005. As a civil affairs officer, 
he worked with Iraqis and Iraqi civilian authorities in helping them 
rebuild their government and country.
  Prior to his tour in Afghanistan, Scott spent a tour in Djibouti, 
Africa, to help promote stability and prevent conflict in the region. 
His mission included repairing wells in northern Uganda, where he and 
fellow soldiers restored more than 60 wells and provided 250,000 local 
residents with clean water. In Africa, he was also involved in 
providing suitable facilities for basic medical care for children.
  This is the part I find very interesting and coincidental. Scott was 
involved in northern Uganda. In northern Uganda, there are some things 
that are going on that not many are aware of. There is the LRA, the 
Lord's Resistance Army. One individual--his name is Joseph Coney. 
Joseph Coney, for 30 years, has mutilated and tortured little kids, 
recruited them to be in the army as his boy soldiers--12, 13, 14 years 
old. If they refuse to do it, they make this individual go back and 
murder his own family, back in the villages. I have been there. I have 
been in the same villages, the same places where Scott was.
  Scott didn't have to do this. This is something that was beyond the 
call of duty. It is heavy lifting. I saw a picture of him in an 
orphanage in northern Uganda. I have been to that same orphanage. There 
are not many of our troops who have done what Scott Hagerty has done. 
He wrote about his experience there saying:

       I have always dreamed of being a soldier, even as a little 
     boy, so I know I am doing the job that was destined for me.

  He deployed to Afghanistan shortly after being assigned to the 451st 
Civil Affairs Battalion in February. His family said, ``Scott was very 
proud of his career in the Army, and we know he died doing what he 
loved . . . serving his country.''
  Scott received numerous military honors, including two Meritorious 
Service Medals, six Army Achievement Medals, two National Defense 
Service Medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service 
Medals and a Korean Defense Service Medal.
  I am saddened by the loss of my fellow Oklahoman. I am proud of his 
service, integrity, and commitment to our country. I read through some 
of the comments written in Scott's on-line Guest Book from people who 
knew him at different points in his life and I would like to share a 
couple with you:

       I had the honor of serving with Maj Hagerty in Gardez, 
     Afghanistan. He was a father figure to me. I have great 
     respect for him. He is truly my hero and will be missed more 
     then he knows. I know he is looking down and watching over us 
     as we continue our mission. We love you Maj Hagerty and will 
     never forget you.
       The Highland Park family are mourning the loss of a 
     wonderful parent at our school. Scott was not only a devoted 
     soldier, but a devoted husband and father . . . Scott's 
     presence will be missed at home and abroad. Thank you Scott! 
     We are very proud of you! Highland Park Elementary School.
       Another one: Growing up with Scott, I was impressed by his 
     quiet strength. I always knew there would be great things in 
     his future as we stumbled toward adulthood . . . Thank you 
     for the sacrifice you have made for my family.

  And lastly a comment left by his team that he worked with in Africa: 
Sincere condolences to the family of Maj Scott Hagerty from the present 
and third Civil Affairs team in northern Uganda. We only had e-mail 
contact with him, giving updates on how things were going here, as he 
was still interested--he was the first team leader here and broke a lot 
of ground. I am sure he stands guard over us all now.
  Today I pay tribute to Scott, a man who exemplified integrity and 
courage and gave his life as a sacrifice for his family and our Nation.
  I have to say this in the case of Scott: This is not goodbye, Scott. 
It is job well done. We love you, and we will see you later.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I would like to comment on the kindness 
of the Senator from Oklahoma. I think that so often we forget the 
sacrifice that our American people have made so we could bring some 
stability to Afghanistan and to Iraq.
  Now, 2 weeks ago I attended a service actually on the front steps of 
the Ohio Capitol Building where we commemorated the lives of 23 
individuals from the Lima Company that was extraordinarily hit in Iraq. 
Tears rolled out of my eyes and everyone else there as a mother of a 
man by the name of Hoffman talked about her son and the sacrifice that 
he made and why he made that sacrifice.
  I think that too many Americans are not aware of the fact that we 
have lost over 4,000 people in Iraq and that 30,000 of them have 
returned, and half of them are going to be disabled. I think it 
underscores that we need to be very responsible in our future activity 
in Iraq so that the parents of those young men and women do not feel 
that their lives were lost in vain.
  I am sure, Mr. President, you have mixed emotions, as I have, about 
where we should be going there. I heard Jim Dobbins today. Jim was at 
the State Department for many years. He was talking about our next 
moves in Iraq and how difficult it is because on one hand, we know that 
we have to move our troops out of there for the benefit of our 
volunteer Army. Because of the deployments, they are stretched, and 
they are not getting the re-ups that they need.
  At the same time, we want to make sure we do not move too fast so we 
end up with a civil war there. So it is a dilemma. But the people who 
get lost in all of that are the folks who have lost their loved ones. 
And it grieves me that we have spent almost $650 billion on that war, 
and we have never asked the American people to participate.
  The only ones who have participated are the families whose sons and 
daughters have come back in body bags, and that loss will be with them 
for the rest of their lives. So I think all of us ought to think about 
those families and pray for them and pray that those of us in 
responsible positions will be enlightened by the Holy Spirit to make 
the right decisions for them, their families, for our country, and for 
the world.

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