[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 29, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H5654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LANCE CORPORAL SQUIRE WELLS
(Mr. LOUDERMILK asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, this last Sunday, my family and I
attended church at the First Baptist Church of Woodstock in Woodstock,
Georgia.
It is not the first time we ever attended that church, as we have
worshipped there before; but it is possibly the most memorable time
that I will have attended that church because it was at this service
that we were having the funeral of Lance Corporal Squire Wells, who is
known to his friends and family as Skip. Skip was the youngest of those
who were killed in the terrorist attack in Chattanooga.
As we were driving to the church, Mr. Speaker, as we were still miles
away from the church, along the sides of the road, we began to see
American citizens, citizens of the 11th Congressional District lining
the road, holding American flags and Marine Corps flags. As we
approached closer to the church, the hundreds of people turned into
thousands of people.
As we arrived at the church, nearly 500 members of the Patriot Guard
Riders, Marine Corps League, the VFW, and the American Legion were
standing, lining the sidewalks of this church, bearing American flags
to say good-bye and to say thank you to a patriot.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to also say thank you to Skip Wells--Lance
Corporal Wells. Although, to my knowledge, we never met in person, I
didn't know him personally, but I do know the type of person he is
because he was a marine, which told me that he held to the highest
standards of decorum and morale and integrity.
He was a Christian who served faithfully in the First Baptist Church
of Woodstock, which tells me he had a heart of charity and love.
Mr. Speaker, I want to say thank you to Skip Wells for laying down
his life for my freedom, the freedom of my children, and my
granddaughter. I want to say thank you to Ms. Cathy Wells, his mom, for
raising such a fine person as a single mom raising her only child, who
has given his life in defense of this Nation.
Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the thousands of people from my
district who came out and honored the life of this American patriot.
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