[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 152 (Friday, November 30, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1853]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PAYING TRIBUTE TO SEAN PATRICK SMITH, A VICTIM OF THE SEPTEMBER 11, 
                   2012 TERRORIST ATTACK IN BENGHAZI

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 30, 2012

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Sean 
Patrick Smith, an Information Management Officer in the State 
Department and United States Air Force Veteran, who was slain in the 
September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Government Mission to 
Libya in Benghazi along with Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and 
former United States Navy Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) Operators, Glen 
Doherty and Tyrone Woods.
  Sean Smith was a native of the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, 
California and seemed destined to serve his nation. His father, Rene 
``Ray'' Smith, my constituent from Gulfport, Florida, was a Corporal in 
the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. The elder Smith 
often served as a ``tunnel rat,'' crawling deep into Vietcong 
underground facilities in search of the enemy. In 1970, during a 
firefight, he was burned over 60 percent of his body after the brush he 
was in caught fire. He raised Sean to appreciate the freedoms our 
nation provides and to be willing to fight for them.
  Sean enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1995 at the age of 
17, so young that he needed a parental release. He served six years as 
a Ground Radio Maintenance Specialist, which included a deployment to 
Oman. Sean left the Air Force in 2002 as a Staff Sergeant. At the time 
of his death, Sean was on temporary assignment to assist in the 
establishment of the Information Technology infrastructure in support 
of the Mission to Libya. Before his assignment to Benghazi, Sean had 
given 10 years of dedicated service to the State Department around the 
globe in Brussels, Baghdad, Pretoria, Montreal, and The Hague.
  A technological guru, Sean's computer savvy was not limited to his 
United States Air Force and State Department duties. Sean was an avid 
gamer and well known in the online gaming community of the space 
fantasy game EVE Online. A leader of the ``Goonswarm'' guild, his 
gaming persona ``Vile Rat'' made use of Sean's skills as a diplomat and 
he was respected as a skilled competitor. Additionally, Sean was a 
moderator of the internet forum, ``Something Awful,'' where he posted 
about football, politics and working with the Foreign Service.
  In the lobby of the State Department, the names of those who have 
fallen in the line of duty are inscribed in marble. Sean's name has 
been added along with his compatriots, Ambassador Stevens, Glen 
Doherty, and Tyrone Woods. In the same tradition, a plaque will be 
placed in the lobby of the Bay Pines VA Medical Center, where Sean's 
father receives his primary care, to commemorate his life and the daily 
sacrifices made by our veterans.
  Sean is survived by his father Ray, mother Pat, wife Heather, and two 
young children, Samantha and Nathan. Beyond his family, Sean will be 
forever mourned by friends, colleagues, and countless online 
competitors, collaborators and gamers, who shared his passion in the 
virtual world Sean helped create. They are the true victims of this act 
of terror. While Sean's pain has ended, they will have to continue life 
without a beloved son, caring husband, nurturing father, and 
extraordinary friend.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of a grateful Nation, I join my colleagues 
today in recognizing Sean Patrick Smith for his dedicated service to 
his country. He has made the ultimate sacrifice to defend freedom and 
his fellow Americans and we are forever in his debt. We wish his family 
all the best as they continue in their life's journey, and hope they 
find solace in knowing that their beloved Sean shall forever be 
remembered as a true patriot and hero.

                          ____________________