[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 21 (Thursday, February 10, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S641-S642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         TRIBUTE TO JAMES BOYD

 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I wish to speak today about the 
noble service of a great American from the State of Alabama, Mr. James 
Boyd. Mr. Boyd serves the city of Anniston as a police officer and has 
served as a civilian adviser to the Afghani Police Force in Khost and 
Kabul, Afghanistan, from November of 2009 to November of 2010. He is 
currently featured in the laudable project ``100 Faces of the War 
Experience.'' This exhibition displays portraits and brief stories of 
those who have served in the multitude of possible ways in the theatres 
of war. The portraits are not for sale and not done at any cost to the 
participants. Mr. Boyd's story is as follows:

       January 7th was the day of my war experience. I was 
     embedded with the U.S. military in Afghanistan, advising the 
     Afghan border police. We returned to our combat outpost at 
     3:20 PM after a supply mission. Right away I noticed that the 
     local border police we lived with were all but gone and my 
     police instinct immediately told me something was wrong. My 
     partner and I were talking to the Lieutenant and Sergeant 
     outside our building and decided to change into cold weather 
     gear for the night. Just as it got dark, we started receiving 
     heavy enemy gunfire; it was relentless and was all at head 
     level. I could hear the Sergeant yelling, ``Incoming!'' A 
     suicide bomber drove a 4,000 lb vehicle-

[[Page S642]]

     borne improvised explosive device into our compound wall 
     injuring 13 U.S. soldiers. I ran to those who were calling 
     for help and found the Sergeant I had been speaking with 
     moments before; he was severely injured and later died. My 
     partner and I ran back-and-forth across the compound under 
     heavy gunfire to get medical bags and stretchers, and to give 
     combat aid. More than a dozen Taliban tried to breach our 
     compound throughout the attack but the team held them back. 
     The rush of emotions throughout was unbelievable--the highest 
     of highs and lowest of lows. The carnage of war is 
     horrendous. The valor of warriors is inspiring. We should all 
     be grateful to the members of our military who defend our 
     enduring freedom and I am honored to support them in their 
     mission.

  I thank Mr. Boyd and his family for their honorable contributions 
toward the goals of our great Nation. I wish him and his family only 
the best in their future endeavors.

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