[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 24, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E477]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN MEMORY OF SPC. LAWRENCE ALDRICH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 24, 2010

  Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today in memory of one of 
our nation's bravest and finest men, who gave his life protecting our 
nation and its citizens--Army Specialist Lawrence Lee Aldrich of Fort 
Worth, Texas. Spc. Aldrich was killed on May 6, 1968, fighting in the 
Vietnam War, and after more than 40 years, he has finally been reunited 
with his family and loved ones.
  Spc. Aldrich was a fearless young man who joined the Army in 1967. 
Those who served alongside him remember him as brave and selfless. He 
gave his life for this country and should be honored for upholding the 
high standards we have set for our Armed Forces.
  On the day Spc. Aldrich was killed, he was serving as a member of a 
search-and-clear mission in Binh Dinh Province, in what was then South 
Vietnam. He was last seen with two other Americans engaged in a battle 
with enemy forces while manning an M-60 machine gun position. An air 
strike was called in, but one of the bombs inadvertently landed on Spc. 
Aldrich's position, killing the three soldiers. Members of his unit 
later recovered the remains of the two other men, but Aldrich could not 
be found.
  Spc. Aldrich is one of 58,000 soldiers' names that appear on the 
Vietnam Memorial. His family's greatest wish was to have his body 
returned. Although his parents have passed on, his siblings know that 
this would have made them extremely happy.
  Madam Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to honor the 
memory of Spc. Lawrence Lee Aldrich for his bravery and courage while 
defending and protecting our nation during the Vietnam War. I am proud 
to represent such outstanding soldiers from my district, and the nation 
as a whole, in the United States House of Representatives.

                          ____________________