[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S4055]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                     Staff Sergeant Timothy Bowles

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, on March 15, Air Force SSG 
Timothy Bowles decided to help a fellow soldier. A friend was scheduled 
to visit a school near Kot, Afghanistan, as part of his provincial 
reconstruction duties, but he was feeling sick. Timothy offered to take 
his place.
  He never returned from that trip. Timothy Bowles was killed when his 
vehicle was destroyed by a roadside bomb. He was 24.
  We all celebrate the remarkable bravery of our men and women in 
uniform. But Timothy was not just a brave soldier; he was a deeply kind 
and caring man. He displayed not just the martial virtues of the 
soldier, but the simple kindness that we all hope to find in our 
friends, our families, our fellow citizens.
  Timothy grew up in the Air Force. His dad, Air Force Msgt Louis 
Bowles, fought in the first gulf war. As a child, Timothy moved from 
base to base while his dad served our country. He knew the hardships 
that the military can bring. But when he turned 18, he quickly signed 
up to serve.
  We tend to think of that decision as one of physical bravery. Every 
soldier accepts the risk of injury or death. They commit themselves to 
challenges that many Americans will never know. And they put in the 
effort that will transform them from civilians into soldiers--the 
effort that makes the U.S. military the finest fighting force in the 
world.
  But the decision to become a soldier is also an extension of values 
that we all share. It is the act of a good neighbor pledging to help 
keep the neighborhood safe. Of a good father telling his family they 
can count on him. Of a good citizen who puts his community before 
himself.
  Please join me in honoring Timothy Bowles and extending our 
sympathies to his father Louis, his mother Lisa, his sister Heather, 
and all of the Bowles family.
  Timothy was a good soldier and a good friend--to his fellow soldiers, 
and to all of us.

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