[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20912-20913]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to honor an Iowan who has 
given his life in service to his country. PFC David Kirchhoff suffered 
heat stroke in Iraq and was evacuated to a base in Germany where he 
died. His wife Brooke was with him when he passed away. Private 
Kirchhoff is the fifth Iowan and the first member of the Iowa Army 
National Guard to be killed since the start of military operations in 
Iraq. David Kirchhoff graduated from Metro High School in Cedar Rapids, 
IA and lived most recently in Anamosa. In addition to his wife Brooke, 
David leaves behind his parents, Larry and Nancy Kirchhoff, and two 
children. Nothing I can say can alleviate their sense of loss, but they 
remain in my thoughts and prayers. The death of a fellow Iowan brings 
home the incredible cost of war for me and for other Iowans. David 
Kirchhoff served his country honorably and was a dedicated soldier, but 
it is important that we remember him also as a husband, a son, a 
father, and a friend. Many Iowans are getting to know David Kirchhoff 
through news stories. We can identify with him and I know many people 
feel his loss whether they knew him or not. As we honor his tremendous 
sacrifice, we also honor his life and his memory lives on.
  Mr. President, I also come before the Senate today to pay tribute to 
a fellow Iowan, PVT Michael J. Deutsch. On July 31, 2003, while serving 
our country in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Private Deutsch was killed when 
an explosive round hit the armored personnel vehicle in which he was 
riding. A 2000 graduate of Dubuque Senior High School, Michael Deutsch 
joined the U.S. Army in 2002. He served with the 1st Squadron, 1st 
Armored Cavalry Division in Budingen, Germany before being deployed to 
Iraq. I would like to express my deepest sympathy to his parents, Wayne 
and Ilene Deutsch, as well as the rest of his family, his friends, and 
his community during these difficult times as they cope with their 
loss. All of America mourns its fallen sons and daughters, yet we feel 
an overwhelming sense of appreciation for those who risk their lives 
for our sake. It's soldiers like Michael that protect our country 
against those who wish to steal what generations of Americans have 
worked so hard to maintain--our freedom.
  After leaving for the Army, Michael wrote these words to his father:

     When changes come we're never ready.
     Always thinking of what we should have done.

     But I am strong.
     You have seen to that.
     As I move on I carry with me that which you have given to me, 
           your love.

  It is always a tragedy when a young life is ended prematurely, but 
Private Michael J. Deutsch's legacy of bravery and ultimate sacrifice 
is one for which we, as Americans, will forever be in his debt.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, at a time when our country's security 
is challenged on so many fronts, there are those among us who lament 
that this generation is too inward looking and too selfish to stand up 
to the task that has befallen them. But they are wrong.
  There are Americans, who, raised in a cold conflict with a foe now 
long past and used to the privilege of liberty and justice, still 
choose to define themselves by their service to their countrymen and to 
men and women the world over whom they have never met but for whose 
freedom they would lay down their lives in sacrifice.
  Army SSG Richard S. Eaton Jr. of Guilford, CT, was one such man, and 
it is in his honor that I rise to speak today.
  Sergeant Eaton, who was assigned to the Army's 323rd Military 
Intelligence Battalion, Fort Meade, was a mere 37 years old when he 
died in Ramadi, Iraq, on August 12 of this year.
  Of poor consolation to his family and friends is that Sergeant Eaton 
died

[[Page 20913]]

while doing what he loved--soldiering in the service of his Nation.
  Soldiering and service defined this young man's life and were in his 
blood; he had many relatives who had served in the U.S. military, 
including Civil War GEN Amos Eaton, William Eaton, who helped reinstate 
the deposed leader of Tripoli and rescue American captives in the early 
1800s, and both of Sergeant Eaton's grandfathers, who were veterans of 
World War I and World War II, respectively.
  Sergeant Eaton learned about a soldier's life from the stories that 
his grandfathers told about their own service and the service of their 
ancestors, and in that retelling, a young Richard Eaton Jr. found 
something that transfixed him, some quality of honor, of humility, of 
service. He decided he wanted to be a soldier.
  In this goal, Sergeant Eaton succeeded like few soldiers ever do, and 
for his valor he will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for 
Valor. According to his friends, family, and colleagues, Sergeant Eaton 
served capably, honorably, and humbly. He never bragged about his 
numerous citations and commendations, which he only accidentally 
unveiled to his family when on leave from active duty in Honduras.
  When his nearly decade-long tour of duty with the Army was over, 
Sergeant Eaton went to work at the Pentagon for a military contractor. 
Still a member of the Army Reserves, he was activated for service this 
winter and reported for duty to Iraq.
  Through his service, Sergeant Eaton demonstrated the best ideals of 
the American people: service in the face of adversity, a striking 
unselflessness, and sacrifice not only for his own countrymen, but also 
for a people whom he had never met.
  And so today, I join the senior Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Dodd, 
Governor Rowland, and the people of a grateful State and Nation in 
paying my most sincere condolences to Sergeant Eaton's family, and my 
deepest respects to the departed sergeant himself.
  Our hearts and prayers go out to his parents in their time of grief.
  Know that your son's contributions and ultimate sacrifice will not 
soon be forgotten.

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