[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF FALLEN MISSISSIPPI MARINE LANCE CORPORAL (LCPL) 
                            EDWARD JOE DYCUS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TRENT KELLY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 6, 2018

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of 
Marine Lance Corporal (LCpl) Edward Joe Dycus who paid the ultimate 
sacrifice while defending our nation on February 1, 2012, during 
Operation Enduring Freedom. LCpl Dycus gave his life when he was 
mortally wounded by a member of the Afghan Security Forces in Helmand 
Province, Afghanistan. LCpl Dycus was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th 
Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp 
Lejeune, North Carolina.
  LCpl Dycus grew up in Greenville, Mississippi. He attended Riverside 
High School. LCpl Dycus joined the United States Marine Corps in 
November 2010. Eric Harmon, a friend and fellow student of LCpl Dycus, 
said he was a humble person who respected his elders. Eric said, 
``everyone appreciated LCpl Dycus' sweet and soft-spoken nature. He was 
a great representative for the City of Greenville, his school, and the 
state of Mississippi.''
  LCpl Dycus' funeral was held at the Riverside High School gym. Eric 
said he will never forget that day because hundreds of residents lined 
the highway all the way from the gym to the Greenville Cemetery. The 
procession was led by the Patriot Guard Riders. ``That is something I 
had not ever seen before,'' Eric said. ``The outpouring of love and 
support from the community forever touched the hearts of his family and 
all of us who were there.''
  Theresa Carol Dycus, LCpl Dycus' mother, said her son joined the 
military because he wanted to serve our nation. ``I was behind him in 
his decision,'' Theresa Carol said. ``He was an awesome son who was 
loved by his family, friends, and community.'' She also remembers the 
day of the funeral when the town came to pay their respects. ``The town 
just stopped,'' Theresa Carol said. ``Greenville came together to 
support our family during our painful loss.''
  LCpl Dycus is survived by his father, Randy Dycus; his mother, 
Theresa Carol Dycus; his stepfather, Franky Drury; his brother, Rodney 
Lee Frothingham Dycus; his three sisters, Stephanie Marie Dycus 
Johnson, Laura Elaine Dycus, and Martha Carol Agnes Dycus; his 
brothers-in-law, Chris Tice and Joseph Adams Johnson; his five nieces 
and nephews, Hayden Tice, Kaution Tice, Ryder Tice, Caleb Johnson, and 
Cayden Johnson.
  LCpl Dycus' service and sacrifice to protect the freedoms we all 
enjoy will not be forgotten.

                          ____________________