[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H4588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
              HONORING SPECIAL FORCES SOLDIER AARON BUTLER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah 
(Mr. Curtis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CURTIS. Mr. Speaker, this week, I had the privilege to speak to 
the parents of Special Forces Soldier Aaron Butler from Monticello, 
Utah.
  From the time Aaron was in the first grade, he wanted to join the 
military and serve our country. After a legendary career as a four-time 
State wrestling champion at Monticello High School, Aaron joined the 
Utah National Guard.
  Within a few years, he was one of just four soldiers who graduated 
with honors from the Army Green Beret Special Qualification Course.
  Throughout his service, Aaron's teammates and superior officers 
regarded him as a natural leader with an unmatched work ethic.
  He was tough and dedicated. He loved our country, and he took his 
responsibility to protect it seriously.
  On August 16, 2017, Aaron was serving as a staff sergeant in Bravo 
Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group of the Utah National 
Guard on his first combat deployment that should have ended in October.
  Tragically, an explosion occurred while he was clearing a booby-
trapped building in Afghanistan, killing Aaron and injuring 11 
teammates.
  His family, seven siblings, parents, and fiancee, as well as his 
teammates, were devastated. His hometown and the rest of our State 
mourned this tragic loss.
  His sister said that if Aaron had given his own eulogy, he would have 
said: I came. I lived. I killed bad guys. I died.
  Aaron and his courageous sacrifice will never be forgotten. Our 
country is forever indebted to the service of Aaron and countless 
others who make daily sacrifices to protect our country and keep us 
safe.
  And our country is, likewise, forever indebted to the families that 
have supported them.
  Like many others, I have been blessed by the dedicated military 
service of a family member. My father served in the Navy during World 
War II. I was reminded of his great service during a recent visit to 
the U.S. Naval Academy, where I had the honor to meet with a group of 
Utah cadets, and again during a visit with U.S. troops stationed in 
Poland and Abu Dhabi.
  This weekend, we will celebrate Memorial Day and take the opportunity 
to express our deepest and most profound gratitude to those who have 
fallen in the service of our country. I thank them, their families, and 
all those who are willing to serve. Our way of life and every ideal we 
hold dear has been built on the sacrifice of these heroes.
  This week, I am proud to speak in support of the proposals in the 
National Defense Authorization Act that will provide our troops with 
support to increase capability and capacity in a force that has been 
asked to do too much with too little for too long.
  In this, I am pleased to support a well-deserved pay raise for our 
troops and extend special pay and bonuses to servicemembers in high-
demand fields, something our servicemembers and their families have 
more than earned.
  After heroically serving this country, our veterans deserve the very 
best that we can give them back home.
  This week, I was honored to support more than a dozen veterans bills 
that passed the House. These proposals will help improve the lives and 
honor the men and women who have served so selflessly.
  This legislation will help provide for disabled veterans who have 
been wounded in service. It will ensure our veterans have access to the 
care and resources they have earned. It will keep our homeless veterans 
off the street. It will ease educational burdens placed on our veterans 
by the Federal Government. It will protect our veterans from the 
dangers of opioid abuse. It will increase accountability at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs to guarantee those brave individuals and 
their families receive the quality of service they deserve.
  This Memorial Day, we honor the dedicated generations of men and 
women who have fought for our country and ensured our freedom. May we 
all strive every day to live worthy of their sacrifice, and may God 
bless the United States of America.

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