[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 166 (Wednesday, November 20, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H7259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING FIVE FORT BENNING SOLDIERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I come before you today to honor five 
soldiers, those attached to and those of the 75th Ranger Battalion, 
Fort Benning, Georgia.
  Fort Benning is home to about 1,500 Rangers of the entire 75th Ranger 
Regiment. They are an elite group of solider who perform specialized 
operations for the Army. Currently, the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger 
Regiment, as well as Rangers of the Regimental Headquarters and the 
Regimental Special Troop Battalion, are deployed. I have a deep 
commitment to Fort Benning, and once these Rangers pass through Fort 
Benning, Georgia, they become part of the State's family.
  On October 6, five of these brave Rangers were part of a mission gone 
wrong. Sergeant Patrick Hawkins, Private 1st Class Cody Patterson, 1st 
Lieutenant Jennifer Moreno, and Special Agent Joseph Peters were killed 
by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in 
Kandahar province, Afghanistan, and Corporal Joshua Hargis was 
seriously injured.
  These soldiers came to Fort Benning from across the Nation. They are 
sons and daughters and parents, spouses, loved by many. Their loss is 
felt across our Nation, and we thank them for paying the ultimate 
sacrifice.
  As we mourn the loss of these four soldiers, I also want to give 
thanks for the life of Corporal Joshua Hargis. Corporal Hargis was 
injured on the same mission on October 6 and is pictured here beside 
me. This photo has been nicknamed ``the salute seen around the world'' 
because it shows the strong character of an American soldier.
  After hours of surgery, Corporal Hargis' commander held a small 
ceremony in the hospital room to honor Corporal Hargis with the Purple 
Heart award. They thought he was unconscious. Doctors, nurses, and 
fellow Rangers crowded into the room to watch him receive his award. 
Despite his injuries, tubes, and intense pain, Corporal Hargis still 
saluted his commander when his Purple Heart was pinned on his hospital 
blanket. This act of determination despite pain embodies all that is a 
Ranger. This is the heart of a warrior. This is America. We need not 
apologize to anyone for our strength and our greatness.
  I want to thank these five brave Rangers, Sergeant Patrick Hawkins, 
Private 1st Class Cody Patterson, 1st Lieutenant Jennifer Moreno, 
Special Agent Joseph Peters, and Corporal Joshua Hargis, for their 
service and their sacrifice. Joan and I send our prayers to their 
families and to their friends.
  God bless America, and God bless our troops.

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