[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5004]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       PAYING TRIBUTE TO U.S. ARMY STAFF SGT. BRIAN THOMAS CRAIG

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart. 
While serving his country in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Brian 
Thomas Craig, from my hometown of Houston, was killed on Monday, April 
15, 2002, in a field near the former compound of the Taliban leader.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the life of a 
truly brave American.
  Brian Craig was twenty-seven years old and had spent the majority of 
his adult life in service to our nation. He joined the Army in 1993, 
shortly after graduating from Klein Forest High School, where he was an 
excellent student.
  Yesterday, the Houston Chronicle reported on Brian's truly patriotic 
life. I would like to share the following excerpt:

       A straight-A student with college potential, Craig wanted 
     to join the Army first. A high school social studies teacher. 
     Scott Boyer, who recently died, instilled a sense of 
     patriotism in Craig as they studied the Gulf War. ``We knew 
     from his junior year that he would enlist after graduation,'' 
     said Joe Georgiana, a retired marketing teacher from Craig's 
     high school. ``It was always his objective. He never 
     wavered.''

  Brian is survived by his parents, Pastor Arthur and Barbara Craig, a 
brother, Kevin Craig and a sister, Elaine Hurtado.
  The United States Army goes out every day to make a difference and 
Brian Thomas Craig certainly did--some days in a small way, some days 
in a big way, and on April 15, 2002, at the cost of his life. One 
cannot ask more from our brave military personnel.
  The loss of any life is a tragic event. The Book of John, Chapter 15, 
verse 13 states: ``Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay 
down his life for his friends.''
  I believe this message has a special meaning today and forever. As a 
father, I cannot begin to understand the pain and heartache felt by the 
Craig family. I can only say that his death was not in vain, and we all 
join together to pray for them.
  Staff Sgt. Brian Thomas Craig's dedication and devotion to the 
citizens of our nation serves as a model for those who have dedicated 
their lives to defending our country and the ideals we hold dear.
  It has been said that the ultimate measure of a person's life is the 
extent to which they made the world a better place. If this is the 
measure of worth in life, a grateful nation can attest to the success 
of the life that Staff Sgt. Brian Thomas Craig led.
  Brian will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, a fitting 
tribute, and a memorial service is planned for Friday at 2:00 p.m. at 
the First Baptist Church in Houston.
  I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in 
expressing our consolences to the Brian Craig family. Our thoughts and 
prayers are with you.

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