[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3192]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           IN MEMORY OF LT. COMMANDER CHRISTOPHER M. BLASCHUM

  (Mr. BOYD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the heroic life of 
Lt. Commander Christopher Michael Blaschum, also known as Basher, who 
was a 1984 graduate of Port St. Joe High School in Florida.
  Commander Blaschum, who will be buried tomorrow with full military 
honors, died March 2 when his F-14 Tomcat crashed shortly after takeoff 
from the USS John F. Kennedy in the Mediterranean Sea.
  It is the ultimate sacrifice when a soldier or pilot dies for his 
country. We are able to enjoy the freedoms we have today because of men 
like Commander Blaschum and the hundreds of thousands of Americans who 
have given their lives in the fight for American principles over the 
last 225 years.
  Time and time again, Commander Blaschum answered the call of his 
country, left his family and home, and served with distinction wherever 
he was sent. I extend my deepest condolences and the thanks of a 
grateful Nation to the family he left behind: his beloved wife, Jodi; 
their two young sons, Jackson and Max; his mother, Pat Johnson; and his 
father, Michael Blaschum.
  His efforts should remind us that all the liberties we enjoy come 
with a price. Let us always remember those who paid that price, and 
always remember Commander Blaschum.

                          ____________________