[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 39 (Thursday, March 5, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2821-S2822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                        Sergeant Daniel Tallouzi

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, today I rise to honor two 
American heroes. The first is Army SGT Daniel Tallouzi. Sergeant 
Tallouzi was the kind of soldier who hated getting injured--not because 
of the pain, but because it stopped him from doing his job. A fellow 
soldier describes meeting Dan when Dan was recovering from an injury at 
Fort Hood. The soldier recalls:

       Another person might have been seriously injured, but Big 
     Dan Tallouzi shook it off,

[[Page S2822]]

     refused any pain meds, and only wanted to get back to his 
     crew and back to the job that he loved.

  On September 25, 2006, Dan Tallouzi had just gotten off duty at Camp 
Taji in Baghdad when a mortar exploded nearby. A single piece of 
shrapnel--roughly the size of a quarter--reached the spot where he 
stood. It hit him behind his right ear and entered his brain.
  Big Dan Tallouzi would never be the same. He returned to the United 
States in an ``eyes open'' coma, unable to speak, walk, or even eat on 
his own. Last week, he died in Albuquerque, NM, the town where he was 
raised.
  The other hero I want to honor today is Mary Tallouzi, Dan's mother. 
When our soldiers serve in harm's way, the burden is borne by families, 
not just individuals. Dan Tallouzi understood this as well as anyone. 
He adored his family, and they adored him. Mary remembers Dan coming 
home on leave with flowers for his sister and hugs for the whole 
family. Home videos show him clowning for his cousins, infecting those 
around him with his warmth and his joy.
  When Dan returned from Iraq after his injury, his mom quit her job to 
follow him through his treatment. First, she left New Mexico for a 
hospital in Germany. When Dan was transferred to Walter Reed, Mary 
followed. Then in search of a miracle, she had Dan transferred to the 
Kessler Institute in New Jersey.
  At Kessler, Mary spent 12-hour days by her son's bed. In the morning, 
she would shave Dan's face, brush his teeth, and put on his favorite 
cologne. Nurses knew that Mary was watching her son's care like a hawk.
  When I met Mary last May, she was back in New Mexico with Dan. After 
traveling for more than a year, Mary had lost her home and was 
struggling to find a place that could accommodate her son's needs.
  What struck me about Mary was the satisfaction she felt in Dan's 
achievements. After all she had experienced, all she had suffered, Mary 
Tallouzi would still light up when she talked about her son. You could 
see her picturing the old Dan, and you could feel how proud she was.
  Mary should be proud of Dan, and she should be proud of herself. She 
raised a good soldier, a good son, a good man. She bore the sacrifice 
that war brings, and she bore it well.
  Please join me in recognizing the sacrifice of Dan, Mary, and the 
entire Tallouzi family.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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