[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 73 (Friday, May 14, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3778-S3779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                           colorado's heroes

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
our wounded warriors. This week at the Olympic Training Center in 
Colorado Springs, more than 200 wounded warriors from every branch of 
the military are competing in the inaugural Warrior Games. This event 
is the brainchild of Brigadier General Cheek, with whom I spent the day 
at Fort Carson last week visiting the Warrior Transition Unit there.
  These soldiers do so much in defense of our country, yet we are not 
often in a position to cheer their performance. This week, we can. 
Although I am not able to be in Colorado to cheer them myself, I wanted 
to cheer them on here, from the Senate floor.
  These games are a partnership between the Department of Defense, the 
U.S. Paralympics, and other organizations that are working together to 
give our wounded warriors an opportunity to push themselves, set goals, 
and demonstrate their abilities. The Army sent 100 competitors--chosen 
out of a pool of almost 9,000 wounded warriors--the Marine Corps sent 
50, the Air Force 25, and the Navy and Coast Guard 25 combined. These 
military members and veterans have physical injuries as well as mental 
wounds of war, and they are competing in swimming, cycling, wheelchair 
basketball, archery, track, and sitting volleyball, among other events.
  This week's Warrior Games is about the abilities of these warriors, 
not their disabilities. And it is about goal-setting, which can 
expedite the recovery process.
  This mindset is important for all our wounded warriors, not just 
those competing in the Games this week. General Cheek has said that 
``While we've made enormous progress in all the military services in 
our warrior care . . . it's not enough. . . . What we have to do with 
our servicemembers is inspire them to reach for and achieve a rich and 
productive future, to defeat their illness or injury to maximize their 
abilities and know that they can have a rich and fulfilling life beyond 
what has happened to them in service to their nation.''
  I agree with General Cheek and believe that today the Army is working 
hard to help our wounded warriors in their difficult transition back to 
service or to life in the civilian world. But the Army acknowledges 
that it has faced some serious challenges when it comes to caring for 
our injured troops, especially those who have experienced brain 
injuries and psychological wounds. While I have seen real improvements 
in the quality of care, I also know that many of those same challenges 
still exist.
  After my visit to the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Carson last 
week, I am especially concerned about reports of overmedication and 
substance abuse among injured service members and

[[Page S3779]]

about delays in the disability evaluation process. I spent a few hours 
talking with separate groups of WTU soldiers, cadre, and clinicians in 
very frank discussions about their experiences and concerns. I heard 
positive stories too--of men and women facing life-changing injuries 
who said they couldn't have gotten back to active duty without the help 
of the WTU.
  Our young men and women have a heavy burden--they are fighting two 
wars, often serving multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. We 
owe them the best care possible when they are injured, and I know the 
Army--from General Casey to the youngest privates who are watching out 
for their team mates--are working hard to provide this care.
  This will be especially important now at Fort Carson as the 4th 
Brigade Combat Team, 4th ID begins to come home. A few hundred of the 
brigade's 3800 soldiers have returned so far, with another few hundred 
due home today and more due home in the coming weeks. These soldiers 
have been in Afghanistan for the last year, assisting the Afghan 
National Army with security, governance and peacekeeping operations in 
Kunar province, on the Pakistani border.
  The need to provide resiliency training and specialized care for our 
soldiers continues before, during, and after deployments. Fort Carson's 
Mobile Behavioral Health Teams have already identified about 920 
soldiers of the 4th BCT--approximately one-quarter of the brigade--as 
having risk factors for depression or anxiety, exacerbated by their 
sustained combat, who will receive additional evaluations after 
returning home. About 100 of the Brigade's soldiers are expected to 
join Fort Carson's Warrior Transition Unit upon their return. Major 
General Perkins and his team at Fort Carson have worked hard to get in 
front of behavioral health issues, initiating this program to put 
behavioral health teams in with the units and work with them even 
before they return home so that we can identify soldiers who need help.
  As the 4th BCT comes home, I want to take a moment to remember the 
heroes that we lost in Afghanistan. Fifty brave soldiers from this unit 
and supporting units have died in the past year. Those who have fallen, 
their families, and their fellow soldiers will not be forgotten. Here 
are their names:

     Steven Thomas Drees
     Gregory James Missman
     Jason John Fabrizi
     Randy L.J. Neff, Jr.
     Joshua James Rimer
     Patrick Scott Fitzgibbon
     Richard Kelvin Jones
     Jonathan Michael Walls
     Matthew Lee Ingram
     Matthew Everett Wildes
     Youvert Loney
     Randy Michael Haney
     Tyler Edward Parten
     David Alan Davis
     William L. Meredith
     Justin Timothy Gallegos
     Christopher Todd Griffin
     Joshua Mitchell Hardt
     Joshua John Kirk
     Stephan Lee Mace
     Vernon William Martin
     Michael Patrick Scusa
     Kevin Christopher Thomson
     Kevin Olsen Hill
     Jesus Olar Flores, Jr.
     Daniel Courtney Lawson
     Glen Hale Stivison, Jr.
     Brandon Michael Styer
     Kimble Andrus Han
     Eric Nathaniel Lembke
     Devin Jay Michel
     Eduviges Guadalupe Wolf
     Jason Adam McLeod
     Kenneth Ray Nichols Jr.
     Elijah John Miles Rao
     Brian Robert Bowman
     John Phillip Dion
     Joshua Allen Lengstorf
     Robert John Donevski
     Thaddeus Scott Montgomery, II
     Bobby Justin Pagan
     John Allen Reiners
     Jeremiah Thomas Wittman
     Michael David P Cardenaz
     J.R. Salvacion
     Sean Michael Durkin
     Michael Keith Ingram, Jr.
     Grant Arthur Wichmann
     Nathan Patrick Kennedy
     Eric M. Finniginam

  Each of these soldiers served with honor, valor, and pride in the 
mission. While we mourn those who fell, we will forever honor their 
memories, and we take great pride in the courage, determination, and 
heroism of the entire 4th Brigade Combat Team and its supporting units. 
Under the exemplary leadership of Colonel Randy George and Command 
Sergeant Major Sasser, the 4th BCT has achieved remarkable success in 
some of the most hostile terrain on earth. Their efforts clearly 
illustrate why Fort Carson is known as ``The Home of America's Best.'' 
On behalf of all Coloradans, I say ``welcome home, heroes, and thank 
you.''

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