[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 103 (Tuesday, July 13, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE LIFE OF U.S. ARMY PRIVATE FIRST CLASS MICHAEL S. PRIDHAM, 
                                  JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARON P. HILL

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 13, 2010

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, July 6, 2010, America tragically 
lost another of its brave heroes. Army Private First Class Michael 
``Mikey'' Pridham, Jr. was killed in Qalat, Afghanistan, when his 
vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. He was 19 years 
old. A Louisville, KY, native, Mikey's father currently lives in New 
Albany, IN.
  Mikey, who was known to have a great sense of humor and cared greatly 
for people, joined the Army as he saw the military as a better path to 
the one he was on prior to enlisting. According to his father, ``Mikey 
was more of a man at 19 years old because of the Army than most men I 
know.'' His mother said he was more mature after returning home from 
basic training and that he had an eye on building a life.
  Days before deploying to Afghanistan, Pridham married his wife, 
Deidre, who is expecting the birth of their first child. At the time of 
his death, Pridham was just six weeks away from redeployment--he would 
have been back just in time for the birth of his baby girl. While in 
Afghanistan, Mikey and Deidre spoke on the phone twice a day, every 
day. He would tell his wife how excited he was to come home and be with 
her and their daughter. Justly, Deidre plans on telling their daughter 
that her father died a hero.
  Pfc. Michael Pridham is a true hero. His sacrifice for our nation 
deserves our most heartfelt gratitude and reverence. Though I did not 
have the pleasure of knowing Pfc. Pridham, I will mourn his death. His 
friends and family are in my prayers.

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