[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 165 (Tuesday, December 14, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H8336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN MEMORY OF PRIVATE SEAN SILVA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, in the aftermath of the attack of 
September 11, a young man from Roseville, California, answered his 
country's call to duty and volunteered to take the war against radical 
Islam from our shores to theirs. His name was Sean Anthony Silva.
  This Nation survives today and Americans remain safe today because of 
the idealism, the patriotism, the heroism, and the sacrifice of young 
Americans like Sean Silva who volunteer to defend us.
  Today, they are the first line of defense between the tyranny and 
terrorism that have arisen in the Middle East and enlightened 
civilization around the world.
  We in the House defend the principles of liberty and justice in this 
Chamber every day with our words. Men like Sean Silva defend them with 
their lives.
  And on the night of October 9, 2003, Private Sean Silva defended 
these principles with his life. To understand the character of this 
young man, you need to understand what led up to that night.
  Sean was a young person who saw his country attacked and 
instinctively rose to defend her. He saw his countrymen threatened and 
instinctively rose to shield them.
  When Sean told his parents, Richard and Donna, that he wanted to 
enlist, they were obviously quite concerned. His mother worried that 
Sean would be dispatched to the Middle East within weeks of boot camp. 
Sean's reply was simple: Mom, I'm ready.

                              {time}  1920

  He wanted to be an Army Scout, always leading, always in motion, 
always protecting the path of his comrades. Sergeant Timothy Sloan of 
the Army's Roseville, California, recruiting office remembered that 
Sean ``wanted to be out doing things. He didn't want to be sitting 
behind a desk.'' Ultimately, he was assigned to the Second Armored 
Cavalry Regiment based in Fort Polk, Louisiana; and from there, he 
shipped out to Iraq.
  The night of October 9, 2003, he had already returned from one 
treacherous patrol and was scheduled for another the next day. A night 
patrol was unexpectedly ordered, and Sean volunteered to go right back 
out on to the deadly streets of Sadr City, even though it wasn't his 
turn. His commander reminded him that he had already done much more 
than duty required, and Sean simply smiled and said, I just want to 
learn to do my job.
  A few hours later, Sean's patrol was ambushed; and in the fierce 
fighting that followed, he gave what Lincoln called ``the last full 
measure of devotion.''
  At Normandy, the chapel bears a tribute to those who ``endured all, 
and gave all, that justice among nations might prevail and that mankind 
might enjoy freedom and inherit peace.'' At the age of 23, Sean Silva 
did exactly that.
  Sean would have turned 30 this year. No doubt he would be married 
with children now, with a promising career, getting ready for the 
holidays with his friends and family. Instead, his chair remains empty 
at the family table, and friends still leave messages for Sean at the 
Fallen Heroes Web site.
  There is one in particular that stands out in this season. It comes 
from a little girl in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, whose father 
survived that terrible night. It reads: ``Thank you Silva for 
protecting my daddy. He is here today because of direct actions that 
you have done. Thank you soo much.''
  Sadr City is no longer besieged. Its streets now bustle with commerce 
and enterprise, and young people look forward to raising their own 
families and starting their own careers. They do so solely because of 
the sacrifice made by men like Sean Silva.
  That sacrifice is ongoing for Sean's family every single day. I met 
Sean's father at a Memorial Day event this year. He speaks of his son's 
death as if it were yesterday.
  Time does not heal the wounds borne by our Gold Star families. For 
them, every day is the day that the casualty officer came to call.
  We owe it to these families to honor what Lincoln called ``the 
cherished memory of the loved and the lost.'' We owe it to these fallen 
heroes, as Shakespeare said, to see that their ``story shall the good 
man teach his son.'' And we owe it to ourselves, to our children and to 
our Nation to remember how precious is the freedom and peace that their 
sacrifice has purchased.

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