[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 79 (Friday, May 23, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING JAY KNIGHT AND DENNY SALISBURY AND CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF 
                           LCPL JOHNNY STRONG

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CHERI BUSTOS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 23, 2014

  Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Jay Knight, of 
East Moline, Illinois, and Denny Salisbury for their efforts on behalf 
of Child's Play charity, and join them in commemorating Marine Lance 
Corporal Johnny Strong, who was killed in action while serving in Iraq 
at the age of 21.
   Lance Corporal Strong was born in Waco, Texas. In school, he joined 
JROTC, and after graduation, he went to San Diego for boot camp and 
training. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 
where he served with Jay and Denny. On June 12th, 2007, while on his 
second tour of duty, Lance Corporal Strong was shot and killed by an 
enemy sniper during a security patrol in Iraq's Anbar province. He had 
been among the first to volunteer to conduct an extra security sweep 
around the platoon's temporary forward operating base.
   Lance Corporal Strong was an avid gamer and was interested in 
working in the video game industry when he finished his service. In his 
honor, Jay and Denny are bicycling approximately 4400 miles between 
Penny Arcade eXpo (PAX) gaming festivals in Boston and Seattle. Their 
ride is raising money for Child's Play, a charity which provides video 
games, books and other toys to children in hospitals worldwide. Along 
the way, Jay and Denny are stopping in children's hospitals around the 
country to showcase the important work of Child's Play and the real 
impact it has on the lives of sick children.
   Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank Jay Knight and Denny Salisbury for 
their dedicated service to our country as well as for their 
inspirational efforts in the name of Lance Corporal Strong to improve 
the lives of hospitalized children. I wish them the very best as they 
continue their extraordinary ride across the county.