[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E747]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO SGT. ERIC M. SEAMAN, USMC

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 19, 2015

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to an 
individual whose dedication and contributions to his country are 
exceptional. Throughout the history of our republic we have asked young 
men and women to voluntarily step forward to guard and protect the 
freedoms we hold so dear. U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Eric Matthew 
Seaman of Murrieta, California, took that step forward and assumed the 
duties, responsibilities and sacrifices that are required of all 
Americans who join the finest military in history. Today I ask that the 
House of Representatives honor and remember this incredible young man 
who died in service to his country.
  As a decorated Marine Corps helicopter crew chief, Sgt. Seaman was 
called upon when a devastating earthquake ravaged the impoverished 
nation of Nepal. The disaster has killed more than 8,500 Nepalese 
citizens and destroyed more than half a million homes, many of which 
are in remote areas that are now cutoff from medical and food supplies 
due to landslides. Sgt. Seaman was selected to be a member of Joint 
Task Force 505, which was activated to support the government of Nepal 
by conducting humanitarian disaster relief operations. During the 
mission, Sgt. Seaman and other Task Force members distributed critical 
supplies to rural, hard to reach communities and provided impacted 
Nepalese people with the life sustaining supplies they so desperately 
needed. Tragically, on May 12, 2015, Sgt. Seaman, along with five other 
U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers, died when their helicopter 
crashed during a supply mission in the Charikot region of Nepal.
  President Ronald Reagan said, ``Some people spend an entire lifetime 
wondering if they made a difference. The Marines don't have that 
problem.'' Sgt. Seaman embodies that sentiment and made invaluable 
contributions to the cause of liberty around the globe since joining 
the Marine Corps in 2009. Having deployed to Afghanistan and to Nepal, 
Sgt. Seaman bravely put himself in harm's way in order to carry out his 
mission, protect his country, and save the lives of innocent civilians. 
Those, Mr. Speaker, are the actions of a hero.
  Sgt. Seaman is survived by his wife, Samantha, as well as a young son 
and daughter, and his parents, Bruce and Cheryl. The burdens and grief 
that they are left to endure are beyond calculation, but it is my hope 
that they can find some solace in knowing that their husband, father, 
and son served our country proudly and made truly life-saving 
contributions to people in tremendous need. Mr. Speaker, I know you and 
the entire House of Representatives join me in expressing my prayers 
and heartfelt condolences to Sgt. Seaman's family and friends.

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