[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 142 (Thursday, September 12, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF COLONEL JACOB HELGESTAD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ANGIE CRAIG

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 12, 2024

  Ms. CRAIG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Colonel 
Jacob Helgestad, who recently passed away after a valiant battle with 
cancer.
  Col. Helgestad was born and raised in Lonsdale, Minnesota. He 
attended New Prague High School where he played football, hockey, and 
baseball. His life of service started earlier than most--before he even 
graduated high school, he joined the National Guard as a private. He 
continued to serve in the National Guard while he attended college at 
Mankato State University, where he met his wife, Karry.
  In 2001, Col. Helgestad deployed to Saudi Arabia as an enlisted 
chemical reconnaissance specialist. A few months later, in the wake of 
the tragic events of 9/11, he made the selfless choice to dedicate his 
life to serving our country. He attended Officer Candidate School and 
was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in Ft. Benning, Georgia. He was 
then deployed to Kosovo and later Iraq as a company executive officer 
of an infantry company in the Al Anbar province where he spent two 
years leading the soldiers of Charly Company in Operation Iraqi 
Freedom.
  For his final deployment, Col. Helgestad served as the Battalion 
Commander of the 1-194 Armor Regiment. He led a historic deployment for 
Operation Spartan Shield based out of Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Under his 
leadership, 425 soldiers participated in the evacuation of Kabul, 
Afghanistan in August 2021 by securing vital sectors of Hamid Karzai 
International Airport and providing humanitarian assistance. His 
battalion was awarded the Army Presidential Unit Citation, the U.S. 
military's highest unit award, for their work. Col. Helgestad's life 
and career were characterized by great personal sacrifice and exemplary 
service. He represented the best that this country has to offer.
  I offer my deepest condolences to Col. Helgestad's family--his wife, 
Karry, and his two children, Lucy and Sam. And I thank him and his 
family for their service and dedication to our country.

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