[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 117 (Thursday, July 30, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S8546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                      Lieutenant Brian N. Bradshaw

  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and 
selfless commitment of LT Brian N. Bradshaw to the U.S. Army and to our 
Nation.
  Lieutenant Bradshaw died as a result of an improvised explosive 
device on June 25 in Kheyl, Afghanistan. He was 24 years old.
  Coincidentally, Lieutenant Bradshaw's life was taken the same day 
that pop star Michael Jackson died. A Google News search reveals that 
the number of news stories in the past month filed about Michael 
Jackson is 142,929, the number filed about Lieutenant Bradshaw? Twenty-
six.
  It is time the American people know a bit more about this young man 
who sacrificed for his country his life, his family, and all his 
potential, giving up all he had and all he was going to be.
  In his youth, Lieutenant Bradshaw served his community in Steilacoom, 
WA, as a search-and-rescue volunteer, as an altar boy, and as a summer 
camp counselor. Family and friends describe him as a man with ``a wry 
sense of humor'' and a deep love for American history.
  He graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in the spring of 2007 
and joined the Army and began service in Afghanistan in March of 2009. 
As a member of the U.S. Army, Lieutenant Bradshaw served in the 1st 
Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade 
Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, and was stationed at Fort 
Richardson, AK.
  Described as a man who found more meaning in actions than words, it 
is no surprise that Lieutenant Bradshaw found meaning in his service in 
Operation Enduring Freedom. In the course of his deployment, he sought 
to help the less fortunate people of Afghanistan and to improve life 
for the children there, frequently writing home for packages of gifts 
to give to local children.
  Lieutenant Bradshaw found his voice in the honor and patriotism of 
the Army. With a father who is a retired National Guard helicopter 
pilot and a mother who is a retired Army nurse, Lieutenant Bradshaw was 
a man with the military in his blood.
  Thus, it is only fitting the transfer of his remains on June 25 to 
Bagram Air Force Base was carried out in a ceremony of honor and 
patriotism that typifies the ideals of the U.S. Armed Forces.
  Sent to retrieve Lieutenant Bradshaw's body were members of the Air 
National Guard from my home State of Georgia. On their sad mission, 
they landed their C-130 using night-vision goggles in blackout 
conditions. What appeared to be hundreds of his fellow soldiers in his 
company stood in formation in the dark as Lieutenant Bradshaw's body 
was carried aboard the plane.
  In a letter to Lieutenant Bradshaw's family, CPT James Adair and MSG 
Paul Riley of the Georgia Air National Guard, who were present at the 
ceremony, described the experience:

       Everyone we talked to spoke well of him--his character, his 
     accomplishments and how well they liked him. Before closing 
     up the back of the aircraft, one of Brian's men, with tears 
     running down his face, said, ``That's my platoon leader, 
     please take care of him.''

  The world may have been occupied with other things, the media with 
other stories. But for one brief moment, the war stopped to honor LT 
Brian Bradshaw.
  Mr. President, it is my honor and privilege today to pay tribute to 
Lieutenant Bradshaw, who illustrates the commitment to excellence, 
honor, and courage that exemplifies our Nation. It is thanks to 
citizens such as him that America has been and will continue to be a 
great and free Nation.

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