[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 77 (Thursday, May 20, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H3666]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN TRIBUTE TO SGT NATHAN KENNEDY

  (Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay 
tribute to an American hero. On April 27, the Kennedy family in the 
Town of Claysville, Pennsylvania, in my district, lost a son and a 
brother. Sergeant Nathan Kennedy was less than a month away from 
completing his second tour with the U.S. Army when he was fatally 
wounded by enemy sniper fire in Afghanistan.
  Nathan Kennedy was a 2004 graduate of McGuffey High School, where he 
excelled as a champion wrestler. In 2006, he enlisted in the Army, and 
served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sadly, he was killed in battle on his 
late mother Penelope's birthday, and Nathan was laid to rest beside her 
this past Mother's Day.
  While Sergeant Kennedy returned a few weeks too early, he returned to 
a grateful group of friends and neighbors standing along the flag-lined 
streets of Claysville to honor his sacrifice. In joining the 
procession, I will never forget the overwhelming solemn presence of 
that silent crowd. Not a sound was made during Sergeant Kennedy's 
procession, none but for the strut of the team of horses that pulled 
the caisson carrying his flag-draped coffin.
  Although our hearts are heavy in remembrance of Nathan, we may 
rejoice, because while the small town of Claysville has lost a son, a 
grateful Nation has gained a hero.

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