[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19863]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               TRIBUTE TO ARMY SPECIALIST T. BRUCE CLUFF

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Army 
Specialist T. Bruce Cluff of Washington, Utah. Specialist Cluff was one 
of five American soldiers from the 204th Military Intelligence 
Battalion stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, who perished when 
their U.S. Army surveillance plane crashed in the rugged mountains of 
Colombia while conducting a routine counter narcotics mission in 
conjunction with the Colombian government.
  I am deeply saddened by the loss of this fine young man while in the 
service of our country. This is a greater tragedy by the fact that 
Specialist Cluff leaves behind a wife, Meggin, and two young children, 
Maciah and Ryker, with another child yet to be born. My heart and my 
prayers go out to them as well as to their extended family.
  I also acknowledge and extend my sympathies to the families of the 
other four American soldiers who perished in the crash. I especially 
hope that Meggin Cluff, her children, and the other families of these 
soldiers will feel the immense gratitude that we have for the sacrifice 
of their loved ones.
  Indeed, Specialist T. Bruce Cluff and his crew mates are heroes, as 
are all of the men and women of our armed forces who everyday 
unselfishly put life and limb at risk to defend our great nation. 
Specialist Cluff and his Army unit were engaged in a different type of 
war. Illegal drug trafficking has become the scourge of our society, 
and we are determined to stop this practice at its very roots.
  The men and women of our armed forces assisting in these offshore 
interdiction efforts will not be deterred by the tragic loss of this 
aircrew. In fact, I suspect they and their families will be all the 
more motivated to continue the ``war'' against drug trafficking. We 
should all take due notice of the costs associated with this effort, 
including the first loss of military lives. We should be unrelenting in 
our opposition to and our pursuit and prosecution of traffickers as 
well as pushers of dangerous drugs.
  May God bless the memories of Specialist Cluff and his fellow crew 
members, and give comfort and peace to their families. And may we 
remember and continue to defend the principles for which these brave 
young people fought and died for. We owe that commitment to them, to 
their families, and to those who will continue their work.

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