[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 78 (Thursday, May 22, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION FOR UNITED STATES ARMY COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR 
                           MARTIN R. BARRERAS

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. RON BARBER

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2014

  Mr. BARBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor United States Army 
Command Sergeant Major Martin R. Barreras, who died on May 12, 2014 
from wounds he suffered on May 6 when enemy forces attacked his unit 
with small arms fire in Harat Province, Afghanistan. He leaves behind 
his mother, father, brother, two children, a grandson, and numerous 
friends.
  Born in New Mexico, Command Sergeant Major Barreras spent most of his 
childhood in Tucson, Arizona. He attended Sunnyside High School before 
joining the military. In his last assignment of his long military 
career, he was assigned as the highest-ranking enlisted member of the 
2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team based in 
Fort Bliss, Texas.
  Command Sergeant Major Barreras was on his sixth deployment to 
Afghanistan, after serving 29 honorable years defending our country in 
both the Army and Marine Corps.
  Command Sergeant Major Barreras was a great soldier. Over his career 
he earned fifty awards and distinctions including a Bronze Star with 
valor and two Purple Hearts. However, his illustrious career depicted 
through his medals will not be the only thing to highlight his service 
to our country. The men and women he lead and fought with will always 
remember his selflessness and war fighting spirit that will undoubtedly 
be passed on for generations to come.
  As an Army Ranger he helped rescue former Prisoner of War Jessica 
Lynch from an Iraqi hospital in 2003. Command Sergeant Major Barreras 
was the leader of the Army battalion that conducted the successful 
rescue of Lynch. He personally handed Lynch to another soldier to 
transfer her to the helicopter that evacuated her from the area. 
Without any hesitation, he then led the fight against multiple attacks 
in order to retrieve all 9 bodies of the other U.S. soldiers missing in 
action.
  We remember Command Sergeant Major Barreras and offer our deepest 
condolences and sincerest prayers to his family. I am heartsick for 
their loss and my words cannot offer adequate consolation.
  Everyone in our great country owes Command Sergeant Major Barreras 
and his family a debt of gratitude for his selfless sacrifice and 
courage. It is vital that we keep our men and women in uniform who are 
in harm's way in our thoughts and prayers. I call on my fellow 
colleagues and all Americans to remember, on this Memorial Day weekend, 
Command Sergeant Major Barrens and his fellow fallen comrades--those 
who have paid the ultimate price.

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