[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 59 (Monday, April 26, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H2855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING SERGEANT JASON A. SANTORA

  (Mr. BISHOP of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart 
following the loss of Army Sergeant Jason A. Santora, who was killed 
this past Friday fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.
  Sergeant Santora was from Farmingville, New York, in my district of 
eastern Long Island. He graduated from Sachem High School in 2003 and 
joined the Army in 2006, becoming a member of the elite Army Rangers.
  He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort 
Benning. Although only 25 years old, he was serving his fourth tour of 
duty. He served two in Iraq and was 2 months into his second tour as a 
team leader in Afghanistan's Logar Province.
  Sergeant Santora's unit was on a mission to target a compound 
believed to be a Taliban terror nest when it was ambushed from multiple 
directions by heavy machine-gun fire. He died of wounds sustained in 
that gunfire and was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star 
and Meritorious Service Medal. The commanding officer of the 75th 
Ranger Regiment honored his courage by describing Sergeant Santora as a 
warrior, a true patriot, and an absolute hero who made the ultimate 
sacrifice in defense of our Nation.
  Madam Speaker, during the difficult days ahead, my thoughts and 
prayers are with Sergeant Santora's family--his father, Gary; his 
mother, Theresa; and his sister, Gina. On behalf of New York's First 
Congressional District, I thank Sergeant Santora for his service, his 
gallantry, and his selfless commitment. A grateful nation will always 
remember his sacrifice and honor his memory.

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