[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 15, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6735-H6736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING UNITED STATES ARMY CAPTAIN DALE A. GOETZ
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Coffman) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, United States Army Captain Dale
A. Goetz, an Air Force veteran with ties to Colorado, joined the Army's
chaplaincy out of a strong desire to help others.
Captain Dale Goetz and his wife Christy both graduated from Maranatha
Baptist Bible College in 1995. He was a former pastor of First Baptist
Church in White, South Dakota before being stationed at military bases
throughout the world.
Earlier this year, Captain Goetz was assigned to the 1st Battalion,
66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at
Fort Carson, Colorado, and the family moved to Colorado Springs in
January of 2010. This allowed his wife Christy and their sons Landon,
Caleb and Joel to be closer to his mother, Hope Goetz, an Elbert County
commissioner.
Captain Goetz and his family joined High Country Baptist Church in
Colorado Springs the day before he deployed to Afghanistan. Captain
Goetz, who had previously served in Iraq, cared about the soldiers he
worked with as an Army chaplain, and according to his pastor at High
Country Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, his goal as a chaplain was
not to be a social worker but to be a spiritual guide. Captain Goetz is
described as having ``a calm demeanor that helped soldiers find
strength in the darkest of times,'' according to Reverend Stuart
Schwenke, a fellow pastor he had gone through ministerial training
with.
On August 30, 2010, Captain Goetz was on a mission in Arghandab River
Valley, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with an
improvised explosive device which detonated near their military
vehicle.
{time} 1730
Captain Goetz was gravely wounded and died of injuries sustained
during the attack. Four of his fellow soldiers from Fort Carson,
Colorado, were also killed in action as a result of the incident.
Captain Dale A. Goetz is a shining example of the United States
Army's service and sacrifice. As a former member of the United States
Army and a retired Marine Corps combat veteran, my deepest sympathies
go out to his mother, Hope Goetz, an Elbert County
[[Page H6736]]
Commissioner; his wife, Christy; their sons, Landon, Caleb, and Joel;
and his sisters, Ann Senetar and Kim Sumner.
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