[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 53 (Monday, March 30, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E803-E804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO SERGEANT TED WADE, AN AMERICAN HERO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN P. MURTHA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 30, 2009

  Mr. MURTHA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the valor 
and determination of Army Sergeant Ted Wade and his wife Sarah.
  An American hero, Ted served his country in Afghanistan with the 82nd 
Airborne in 2002, and later deployed to Iraq with his unit in July of 
2003. On February 14, 2004, the Humvee Ted was riding in hit an 
improvised explosive device (IED), throwing Ted from the vehicle, 
severing his right arm, and causing significant traumatic brain injury.
  Ted, unconscious and in a coma, was evacuated to the Landstuhl 
Regional Army Medical Center in Germany and later transferred to a 
civilian hospital in Germany that specialized in the care he needed. On 
March 2, 2004, Ted and Sarah came back to the states for recovery at 
Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
  I first met Ted and Sarah while visiting with our wounded soldiers 
recovering at Walter Reed. Years later I sat with them at the 2007 
Capitol Memorial Day Concert, where I learned of Ted's ongoing recovery 
and Sarah's fight to ensure that he receives the best possible 
treatment and care.
  You see, military and VA doctors said that because of Ted's injuries, 
he would have little chance of ever walking and talking again. He was 
shuffled back and forth between doctors at VA facilities in North 
Carolina and doctors at Walter Reed. Sarah fought through the 
bureaucratic red tape and forced the VA to allow Ted to see one of the 
nation's premier traumatic brain injury specialists.
  Sarah never gave up on Ted's recovery, and Ted was determined to 
prove his doctors wrong. Ted has achieved incredible results through 
his ongoing rehabilitation. He's beaten the odds for recovery, and he's 
proven that through persistence and perseverance individuals can 
overcome insurmountable odds in confronting their injuries.
  Today, Ted and Sarah continue to press lawmakers and military leaders 
for better health care for our wounded warriors and for additional 
funds for the research and treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). 
Through their work, Congress has appropriated over $1.2 billion in just 
the past two years for TBI programs. Sarah also works closely with the 
Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health-Traumatic Brain 
Injury to ensure that other wounded service members with Ted's injuries 
have access to the utmost care.
  Madam Speaker, Ted and Sarah Wade are an inspiration to us all. Their 
courage, commitment, and extraordinary story have shown us the spirit 
that exemplifies our military families.

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