[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 136 (Thursday, September 24, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING SFC SHAWN PATRICK MCCLOSKEY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LYNN A. WESTMORELAND

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2009

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
fallen American patriot.
  Thousands of my constituents in Georgia's 3rd Congressional District 
lined the streets of Peachtree City, GA, this week, waving American 
flags, to honor the late SFC Shawn Patrick McCloskey. The sergeant, 
returning home to his final resting place, died while serving in the 
U.S. Army in Afghanistan.
  Sergeant McCloskey, 33, suffered fatal injuries after he was hit by a 
roadside bomb Sept. 15 while on patrol in Ghur Ghuri. SFC Bradley Bohle 
of Maryland and SSG Joshua Mills of Texas also died in the attack.
  Before joining the service, Sergeant McCloskey worked for a 
construction company in Fayette County. Like many of his fellow 
soldiers, he was a regular American, going to work every day and 
providing for his family when he decided to join the military in 2002. 
At a time of great anguish for our Nation, he heard the call to duty 
and he answered it.
  After Special Forces training, Sergeant McCloskey became a Green 
Beret and performed intelligence work in Colombia. When he died, he was 
serving his third tour in the Global War on Terror. His meritorious 
service won him many medals and awards, including the Bronze Star, 
Purple Heart and the National Defense Service Medal.
  Our Nation mourns the loss of each soldier sacrificed on the 
battlefield. But there is no tribute we can give that eases the pain of 
the Gold Star families. Sergeant McCloskey is survived by his wife 
Jessica and two children, Katie and Collin, and also his parents 
Patrick and Kathryn McCloskey of Fayetteville.
  Today, we remember and grieve this great American hero, SFC Shawn 
McCloskey. He died so that we, his fellow Americans, could continue to 
live in freedom.
  We thank the McCloskey family for their gift to us. May God bless 
them during their hour of greatest need.

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