[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 22, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           VICTOR LOVELADY, TEXAN, KILLED IN TERRORIST ATTACK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in a remote region of Algeria at an 
oil and gas facility, in the dark of night before the sun rose, workers 
from all over the world were getting ready to sit down for breakfast 
when suddenly gun-wielding Islamic radicals stormed the facility.
  Some of the workers were killed; some were able to escape; some were 
taken hostage. One of the hostages killed in this attack was a member 
of my congressional district, Victor Lovelady.
  Victor was a native of southeast Texas. He was originally from 
Nederland, Texas, a town of primarily hardworking, blue collar folks 
centered around the energy industry. Victor had recently moved to 
Atascocita, Texas, his home not far from where I live. He was 57 years 
of age.
  When he died, he was on a contract assignment for ENGlobal, an energy 
company in Algeria. According to his family, Victor waited to take that 
contract until his children had finished school so he could attend 
their sporting events. This was not surprising for someone who was 
described as a ``dedicated family man and a fantastic coworker.'' 
Although it was hard to be so far away from his family, Victor was 
excited to take the contract assignment so he could ensure a secure 
future for his family. That's just the kind of father and husband he 
was.
  The deal for this contract was 28 days on, 28 days off, and he was 
just 10 days in with only 18 days left to go. He was scheduled to come 
home to Texas the day after his daughter's birthday. His life was 
stolen by those who seek to destroy Americans, the radicals who inflict 
terror on all who believe in freedom.
  Victor is survived by a loving family, including his wife, Maureen; 
daughter, Erin; and their son, Grant. Over the holidays, the close 
Lovelady family expressed concern for the safety of Victor, but he 
reassured them saying, ``It's so safe. We have protection.'' It's hard 
for people to understand such unspeakable evil.
  I spoke with Victor's brother, Mike, throughout the crisis and as did 
Congressman Randy Weber. Yesterday, after we heard the terrible news, 
Mike told me:

       I can associate with my brother getting in a car wreck or 
     having cancer. But terrorism and Nederland, Texas, don't go 
     together.

  He was described as ``a great family man and a fantastic coworker'' 
and ``a leader who mentored countless individuals during his tenure.'' 
He was also known for his spontaneous wit. Victor moved from Nederland, 
Texas, to Atascocita to be closer to work, but he went back and forth 
so that his children could finish school there.
  Mr. Speaker, Victor was killed not just because of what he did; he 
was killed because of who he was. He was killed because he was an 
American. A radical Islamic al Qaeda group by the name of the 
Signatories in Blood claimed responsibility for this terrorist attack, 
those who seek to destroy us and kill indiscriminately.

                              {time}  1010

  They hate us for who we are and what we stand for. Diplomacy is not 
in their vocabulary.
  Two other Americans were also killed in this attack. Their names were 
Gordon Lee Rowan of Sumpter, Oregon, and Frederick Buttaccio of Katy, 
Texas.
  The Algerian military retook the compound after 3 days, and they 
found that 34 other hostages had been killed, as well as dozens of 
terrorists.
  Mr. Speaker, our thoughts, prayers, and concerns are with the 
Lovelady, Rowan, and Buttaccio families today.
  Secretary Panetta said that America must respond to these murders. 
That is correct. We should go after these killers who have malice and 
evil in their hearts, that kill Americans because they are Americans. 
That would be justice, and justice is what we do in this country.
  And that's just the way it is.

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