[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 87 (Friday, May 19, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF FALLEN SOLDIER ARMY SERGEANT (SGT) JASON WALTER 
                                 VAUGHN

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. TRENT KELLY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 19, 2017

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of 
fallen soldier Army Sergeant (SGT) Jason Walter Vaughn who paid the 
ultimate sacrifice while defending our nation on May 10, 2007, during 
Operation Iraqi Freedom. SGT Vaughn died of wounds from an improvised 
explosive device that detonated near his vehicle in Baqubah, Iraq, 
during his second tour of duty.
  SGT Vaughn was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 
3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington. He joined 
the Army in 2002, serving in Iraq from November 2003 to November 2004, 
and then returning in July 2006. He received his initial training at 
Fort Benning, Georgia. SGT Vaughn held the rank of Specialist at the 
time of his death and was posthumously promoted to Sergeant. During his 
military service, SGT Vaughn received the Army Good Conduct Medal, the 
National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terror Expeditionary 
Medal and the Global War on Terror Service Medal. He was also awarded 
the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman's 
Badge.
  SGT Vaughn was born in Memphis, TN, moving a few times before his 
family settled in Iuka, MS. He graduated from Tishomingo County High 
School in Iuka, MS in 1996. He later attended Northeast Mississippi 
Community College and Mississippi State University.
  According to his mother, RaNae Vaughn, ``Jason was a kindhearted, 
selfless person. He was a beautiful person inside and out. His memory 
inspires us to be better, do better and dream big.'' His father, Walter 
Vaughn, told the Associated Press, ``The world lost a leader. My son 
was a born leader.''
  SGT Vaughn's survivors include his wife, Contessa Williams Vaughn; 
stepdaughter, Ashley Martin; father and stepmother, Walter and Pat 
Vaughn; mother, RaNae Smith Vaughn, as well as a brother, sister, and 
two step-sisters.
  In 2011, H.R. 2213, introduced by Representative Alan Nunnelee, 
designated the Iuka, MS Post Office as the ``Sergeant Jason W. Vaughn 
Post Office.'' As of July 1, 2017, the portion of Mississippi Highway 
25 within the city limits of Iuka, MS will be known as the ``SGT Jason 
Vaughn Memorial Highway.''
  The sacrifice of this brave soldier will always be remembered.

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