[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 96 (Thursday, June 24, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H4783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING SERGEANT FIRST CLASS ROBERT FIKE AND STAFF SERGEANT BRYAN 
                                 HOOVER

  (Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 
two sons of southwestern Pennsylvania who gave their lives to their 
country. While on patrol in Afghanistan, Sergeant First Class Robert 
Fike and Staff Sergeant Bryan Hoover were killed by a suicide bomber. 
They became the 35th and 36th members of the Pennsylvania National 
Guard to be killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  Sergeant Fike was described as ``one of those guys you just liked 
instantly.'' He graduated in 1989 from Penn-Trafford High School, 
joined the National Guard in 1993, and served in Panama, Italy, Saudi 
Arabia, and Iraq. His experience in military as well as a State prison 
guard made him an excellent leader of the younger troops. It was said 
of him that the guys respected everything he said. They trusted and 
liked him.
  Staff Sergeant Hoover graduated from Elizabeth Forward High School in 
2000, where he was a standout athlete in track, football, and 
wrestling. He enlisted in the Marines and served in Iraq and then 
served in the Army Reserves before joining the National Guard. Back 
home, Bryan Hoover was an assistant track and cross country coach at 
Elizabeth Forward High School. He also volunteered to coach low-income 
children at the YMCA. While he is no longer with us, Bryan left a mark 
on his students. One described him as an ``inspirational coach.''
  These two guardsmen were friends, having served together with the 
28th Military Police Company in Iraq in 2007 and 2008. It was also 
their shared commitment to community and country that led them to join 
the military, where together they protected the reconstruction teams, 
building schools and infrastructure for the people of Afghanistan.
  Hundreds gathered to pay their respects this past week for Sergeant 
Fike and Staff Sergeant Hoover as they were laid to rest. As we mourn 
with these families, we know there are two more heroes keeping watch 
over us from above. On behalf of a grateful Nation, we thank them for 
their service and sacrifice. May God bless their families and the 
country they loved.

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