[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE DEDICATED SERVICE AND SELFLESS SACRIFICE OF STAFF SERGEANT 
                           FORREST B. SIBLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2015

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is with both profound sadness 
and deep gratitude that I rise to pay tribute to a fallen decorated 
American hero. On August 27, 2015, Staff Sergeant Forrest B. Sibley, 
who was assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, 720th Special 
Tactics Group, 24th Special Operations Wing, Pope Army Airfield, North 
Carolina, tragically succumbed to wounds received during an attack the 
day prior while conducting operations in support of Operation Freedom's 
Sentinel near Camp Antonik, Afghanistan. SSgt Sibley was 31 years old, 
but lived a lifetime marked by and full of service.
  Although a Louisiana native, born in Shreveport in 1983, Pensacola, 
Florida, would become home to Forrest. By all accounts of his loved 
ones, he lived his life to the fullest and always savored spending time 
with friends and family along the beautiful coastline of Pensacola 
Beach. After Hurricane Ivan struck Northwest Florida in 2004, Forrest 
and his friends worked to clean up the destruction in its devastating 
aftermath, helping neighbors rebuild and recover, with his jovial 
nature intact.
  Answering the call of duty, Forrest entered into the United States 
Air Force and upon completion of basic training in 2008 became an Air 
Force Combat Controller, serving alongside some of our Nation's most 
elite. Among his qualifications, SSgt Sibley was a military static line 
jumper, free fall jumper, an Air Force combat scuba diver, and a joint 
terminal attack controller. SSgt Sibley's military career would include 
four deployments to some of the most critical and sensitive areas of 
operation. His awards include four Bronze Stars, one with Valor Device, 
the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Air Force 
Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.
  As exemplified by his extraordinary heroism, SSgt Sibley's life 
stands as a testament that freedom is not free, and his legacy will 
echo in time as an example of the ultimate sacrifice in the name of 
freedom. My wife, Vicki, joins me in praying that God is with Forrest's 
parents, Brent and Susan, and all of the beloved family and friends he 
held so dear, and we ask that God continue to bless them and the United 
States of America.

                          ____________________