[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4518]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING SERGEANT DAVID WURTZ

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSEPH CROWLEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 11, 2002

  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Army 
Sergeant David Wurtz, a brave man who is not just a hometown hero to 
his neighbors in College Point, minutes from Ground Zero in New York 
City, he is also a true American hero. Our nation owes Sergeant Wurtz a 
debt of gratitude for being among the first fearless U.S. soldiers on 
the ground fighting Al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan. That patriotic duty 
came at a price, and Sergeant Wurtz was awarded the Purple Heart after 
returning from battle injured.
  David Wurtz was born to Clem and Joan Wurtz in College Point 25 years 
ago, and is a proud hometown boy. He attended Flushing High School and 
Bleeker Junior High. His mother Joan describes young David as shy, but 
always a good student. He gave his parents a scare when one day, at age 
17, he missed dinner, something he never did. After much worrying by 
his parents, he later returned safe and sound--and enlisted in the U.S. 
Army's delayed entry program. At age 18, Mr. Wurtz was assigned in 
Hawaii. He quickly moved up the ranks and moved to the 10th Mountain 
Division at Fort Drum in upstate New York. Then came September 11, 
2001.
  After watching the horror of the terrorist attacks unfold on his 
television from Fort Drum, he had no idea that a short time later, he 
would be fighting terrorists in Afghanistan to protect his hometown and 
all of America from future terrorist attacks.
  Between late September and March 1st, Sgt. Wurtz found himself in 
various staging and combat situations, leading up to his involvement in 
Operation Anaconda. The 10th Mountain Division was positioned on a 
mountain in Afghanistan in the morning hours of March 2nd and 
immediately became engaged in a 16-hour fire fight with enemy forces.
  Shortly into the battle, Sgt. Wurtz was struck by a mortar shell, 
injuring his right foot. Minutes after the initial hit, the wounded 
Wurtz was hurt again, a mortar shell hitting his right kneecap. As he 
was being carried off the battlefield by medics, a photographer took 
his picture--a photo that appeared on front page of the March 8th New 
York Daily News. While he received medical attention in the field, 
because of the fierce fighting, Sgt. Wurtz and about 40 other injured 
soldiers were forced to endure the danger of intense fighting and 
freezing temperatures, because helicopters were unable to airlift them 
until nightfall.
  After a series of operations and hospital stays oversees, Sgt. Wurtz 
arrived at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC on March 9th to very 
grateful family members: his parents Clem and Joan, brothers Chris and 
Daniel, aunt and uncle Judy and Lenny Crawford, cousins Peggy Crawford 
and Brianne Pawson, and sister-in-law Danielle Auletta. While in 
Washington, he was presented with the Purple Heart and visits from U.S. 
Generals and visits from Members of Congress.
  On March 18th, Sgt. Wurtz returned to New York City and his College 
Point neighborhood where he has been greeted and thanked by many 
appreciative friends, neighbors and local leaders. Despite his 
injuries, he is eager to report back to Fort Drum and is willing to 
return to Afghanistan if he is so ordered.
  Although Sgt. Wurtz would disagree with the label, Mr. Speaker, 
please join me in honoring him as the hero he is. Sgt. David Wurtz's 
courageous service on behalf of this country is the reason our Armed 
Forces ensure that we remain the land of the free and the home of the 
brave.

                          ____________________