[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 98 (Tuesday, June 6, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H2746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           JUSTICE FOR ARMY SPECIALIST ENRIQUE ROMAN-MARTINEZ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Torres) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. TORRES of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to demand justice 
for a family still in search of answers.
  Over 3 years after his murder, Army Specialist Enrique Roman-
Martinez' mother, Maria, and sister, Griselda, still don't know what 
happened to their beloved son and brother.
  Before he was even old enough to vote, Enrique felt called to serve a 
purpose much greater than himself. His dedication to our Nation 
compelled him to enlist in the Army when he was only 17 years old.
  While stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Specialist Roman-
Martinez went camping in the Outer Banks with seven of his fellow 
soldiers. On May 22, 2020, he disappeared. Seven soldiers camping with 
him failed to report him missing. They failed to provide information 
that could lead to solving his murder. Instead, they claimed that he 
was suicidal.
  However, a week later, when his head surfaced, Specialist Roman-
Martinez was found washed ashore--only his head.
  He was only 21 years old, just old enough to order a beer for 
himself. He had the rest of his life ahead of him, a life he chose to 
begin by selflessly serving his country.
  His family deserves the truth. As the mother of an Air Force veteran, 
I will never forget that awful feeling of waking up every day and not 
knowing whether my son will ever come home.
  Our military makes a sacred commitment to never leave a servicemember 
behind, and it is their moral obligation to inform families if their 
loved one is killed.
  It is an impossible, unthinkable conversation, a conversation that I 
feared every single day during my son's deployment, but it is essential 
closure for the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
  It has been over 3 years, and the murder of Enrique Roman-Martinez 
remains unsolved. The Army's failure to provide his family with the 
answers they deserve is unacceptable.

                              {time}  1015

  Last year, I introduced The Enrique Roman-Martinez Military Cold Case 
Justice Act to reform how the military handles cold cases and ensure 
that a tragedy of uncertainty like this never happens again.
  I am pleased that my legislation was included in our annual 
government funding law and that I recently had the opportunity to visit 
the new Army cold case unit to monitor the Army's improvements to their 
cold case review process.
  However, the harsh truth remains: Enrique's family is still waiting 
for answers they may never find. They are also still waiting for the 
remains they may never find.
  I call on anyone with information on Enrique Roman-Martinez's murder 
to come forward and shed light on what happened. As the Roman-Martinez 
family's voice in Congress, I will continue doing all I can to deliver 
justice for them.
  Enrique was one of the Inland Empire's best and brightest, and we 
feel the pain of his loss every single day.
  Maria and Griselda's lives will never be the same after the murder of 
their son and brother, and the very least that we can do is grant them 
closure.

                          ____________________