[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 4 (Thursday, January 7, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     STAFF SERGEANT CHESTER McBRIDE

  (Mr. ALLEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, lining the streets of downtown Statesboro, 
Georgia, last weekend, hundreds of people holding American flags 
gathered to pay respects to a fallen hero. Air Force Sergeant Chester 
McBride was killed in an attack in Afghanistan that also claimed the 
lives of five more servicemembers last month.
  He was laid to rest on Saturday, January 2. Chester was only 30 years 
old. He was a former starting cornerback for the 2001 Statesboro High 
School championship team. He excelled in sports in school, graduating 
from Savannah State University in 2007.
  Chester had dreams of joining the FBI when he returned home. He was 
posthumously awarded four medals for his actions in service by the 
United States Air Force.
  Chester chose to serve his country, and we will always remember the 
sacrifices he made in the name of freedom. A family has lost a son, and 
a community has lost a hometown hero.
  May God continue to bless our servicemen and -women and their 
families. Let us never forget what was said 2,000 years ago: that the 
greatest love one can offer is to offer their lives for another.

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