[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Pages 28123-28124]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today, in the few days before 
Veterans Day, to pay tribute to one of America's and one of Ohio's 
fallen sons. Twenty-seven year-old Army Specialist James Christopher 
Wright, who served in the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 
of the 4th Infantry Division, passed away on September 18, 2003, while 
trying to secure a hostile area near Tikrit, Iraq.
  James Wright--known as Jimmy by his family and friends--was from 
Delhi Township, OH. In the early 1990s, he graduated from Oak Hills 
High School and Diamond Oaks Vocational School.
  Growing up, Jimmy was a fun-loving kid. Friends say he was always 
ready with a smile or a joke. He could make any situation seem 
comfortable.
  He could put people at ease.
  Christina Schwaller, who attended Oak Hills High School with Jimmy 
said that he was ``very outgoing and lovable, very much the clown. He 
was always laughing--you never had a bad moment when he was around.''
  Jimmy also loved cars. It's a love he shared with his older brother, 
Eddie. When Jimmy was still in high school, and Eddie had just 
graduated, they bought low-riding pick-up trucks and spent hours upon 
hours outfitting them. In Iraq, Jimmy was the proud driver of a Humvee. 
Today, Eddie drives a Porsche with a memorial to his brother painted on 
the front hood.
  In 1996, Jimmy enlisted in the Marines and served four years. In that 
time, he toured in Bosnia, Greece, and Italy. Jimmy felt strongly about 
serving our Nation. He had a deep, abiding sense of duty--something he 
learned from his family. His father, Edward, served in the Army for 20 
years and did two tours in Vietnam. He learned from his family about 
sacrifice and service.
  After his tour with the Marines was over, Jimmy decided to settle 
down for a short time in Delhi Township and later Waco, TX, with his 
wife, Alina, whom he had met when they were both stationed at Fort 
Bragg in North Carolina. She, too, had been a Marine. As they were 
settling in to their new civilian life, the world turned upside-down 
with the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Once again, 
Jimmy and Alina felt the familiar pull of duty--duty to the victims of 
September 11th, duty to their families, duty to our country. Alina 
remembers Jimmy saying then that ``it was time to put the uniform back 
on. He couldn't just sit back and not do anything.''
  Jimmy and Alina both enlisted--this time into the Army. Jimmy was 
deployed to Iraq on April 1, 2003. Three weeks later, he learned that 
his wife was pregnant with a baby boy whom they named Jamison Edward. 
Five months later, Jimmy Wright gave his life fighting to secure the 
safety and freedom of the Iraqi people--fighting to secure a peaceful 
world and future for his unborn son. As his brother Eddie said, ``When 
Jimmy died, he was doing something he loved. I'm proud of my brother. 
He's a hero.''
  He received the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Armed Forces 
Services Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.
  Specialist James C. Wright did not have to re-enlist. He did not have 
to fight and die for us and for his son, Jamison Edward. But he did. As 
Reverend Thomas King said at Jimmy's memorial service in Ohio, ``Jimmy 
knew the dangers he faced, but he never backed down.'' He felt it was 
his duty--his calling--to serve. He believed in what he was doing--in 
what he was fighting for. He wanted his son to live in a world without 
terrorism--a safe world--a world of freedom and liberty and hope.
  Pliny the Elder wrote that ``hope is the pillar that holds up the 
world.'' Jimmy was a man of courage, of love, of duty--and his broad 
shoulders of hope will continue to hold up the world safely above our 
heads.
  He will continue to be that pillar as we remember his life--as we 
remember how he followed his heart, lived a life full of love, and 
dutifully responded to the call of his country.
  Left to cherish and honor his life are his wife, Alina; his unborn 
son, Jamison Edward; his parents, Edward and Barbara; his two brothers, 
Eddie and Mark and their families; and his grandmother, Josefa Wright. 
Let me say to all of them that you all remain in my thoughts and 
prayers.
  I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
   Mr. ALLARD. Madam President, today, I rise to honor recently fallen 
soldiers in Iraq and to recognize the mission these men and all Fort 
Carson soldiers have been accomplishing since the conflict began.
   This past Sunday the State of Colorado lost four of its courageous 
army warriors when a Chinook helicopter assigned to the 12th Aviation 
Brigade and attached to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment crash landed 
outside of Baghdad. These were brave and loyal soldiers defending the 
principles of freedom and liberty and fighting the terrible war against 
tyranny and terrorism.
   This helicopter was shot down in the single deadliest attack on 
American troops since the war began. This attack killed a total of 16 
troops and injuring another nineteen. It was transporting the troops to 
Qatar. Some were headed home for leave while others were getting much 
needed rest before returning to Iraq to wage peace and rebuild the 
country after more than twenty years of neglect and oppression.
   As I learn more of the four men from Fort Carson who lost their 
lives, my heart swells with pride. I am very proud of the commitment 
and sacrifice these soldiers gave to our country and our way of life. 
Yet, I am also saddened. I am deeply grieved knowing that for each of 
the brave souls have a family left behind.
   It is a somber realization that some parent or spouse will receive 
the worst possible news. Men in dark green uniforms will show up to 
explain the unexplainable. As honorable as this task is, no one from 
the army can comfort the families of Specialist Darius Jennings, 
Specialist Brian Penisten, Sergeant Ernest Bucklew or Staff Sergeant 
Daniel Bader. These were good men and proud Americans who were pausing 
briefly in their duty to improve the conditions in Iraq and fully 
expected to return soon to rejoin their units.
   This tragedy is magnified when you learn of the stories behind these 
young men and the lives they left behind.
   Sergeant Dan Bader was returning to Fort Carson to see his wife and 
fourteen-month-old daughter. Last spring

[[Page 28124]]

he tearfully kissed his wife and child goodbye and deployed for 
Operation Iraqi Freedom promising to return soon and was ever more 
eager to see his daughter grow with each passing day. He was a towering 
man of six foot three who was not afraid of anything. He fought for his 
family, for his unit and for America. His daughter will grow up knowing 
her father was a hero but not knowing her father.
   Specialist Brian Penisten was also coming home but he was coming 
home to start a new family. He was coming home to his fiance in Pueblo, 
CO so they could get married this month. He called her before heading 
to the helicopter and told her everything was okay and ended the 
conversation with the words, ``I love you Mrs. Penisten.'' But now 
instead of a wedding his two families will be attending a funeral for 
this fallen hero.
   This attack represents another example of the cowardice and terror 
tactics employed by Saddam loyalists and the foreign insurgents intent 
on our failure to bring peace and freedom to Iraq and the region.
  They will not succeed. Both the American troops and the Iraqi people 
are working hard to make the country better. Everywhere you turn, the 
message is the same. The Iraqi citizens are happy to have us there and 
our troops understand why we must be there. Whether you count the 
social programs being worked by our soldiers, the re-enlistments of our 
Fort Carson soldiers or the over all morale of the troops, the message 
is clear. We are committed and will not quite until our task is done.
  Some of these troops have been in the country since before Christmas 
of last year. This deployment and combat environment could easily 
destroy morale and incentive to re-enlist. That is not so for these 
fine soldiers of Fort Carson.
  Even through Sunday's disastrous loss, the spirit of Fort Carson 
stays strong. The executive Officer for the 3rd Armored Cavalry, said 
after losing his four men, that, ``morale is saddened and humbled but 
we remain resolved to continue the fight.''
  The unit's 5,000 soldiers serving in Iraq don't have time to be 
horrified or mourn the dead. They have a job to do.''
  He added that they were obviously saddened by the events but ``we are 
soldiers, cavalry troops and have to execute the mission given to us.''
  There has been plenty of discussion lately of America's resolve and 
commitment to seeing this through. Let me tell you that the men and 
women serving in Iraq are not confused and know how committed this 
country is to ensuring that democracy flourishes in Iraq.
  The men and women of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment are still 
fighting the war on the Syrian border but that has not deterred them 
from performing great measures for the Iraqi people. The 3rd Cavalry 
helped rebuild a town's schools and hospitals with the help of the 
local mayor and town council.
  Another program brought bookbags full of school supplies to over 200 
local youth. This is a sharp contrast to the Hussein regime who did not 
provide basic education for all children.
  One of the American commanders said ``most people in the communities 
here are peaceful and just want to resume moral lives but the actions 
of the aggressors place them in a position where they feel they can't 
publicly support coalition forces.'' And the Iraqi mayor said ``we are 
very grateful for what they have done.''
  Fort Carson has retention goals that it must meet to fulfill its 
mission. This is true during war as well as during times of peace. Fort 
Carson has deployed over 12,000 troops to Iraq since last year. That 
constitutes 80 percent of its troops. Men and women from the 3rd 
Armored Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Special Forces 
Group and 7th Infantry Division have all supported Operation Iraqi 
Freedom.
  Surprisingly, though the 3rd Armored Cavalry is still deployed in 
Iraq, the unit has not only reached its retention goals, it has greatly 
exceeded them. In the last quarter of this past year 294 soldiers re-
enlisted while the objective was 129. This unit is retaining almost 
three times its goal for that period and for fiscal year 2003. Over the 
year, the regiment had 834 soldiers re-enlist though the goal was 554 
reenlistments.
  It is clear to me that the soldiers who are laying their lives on the 
line; they are committed to this cause; and we need to follow their 
lead. Secretary of State Colin Powell, while leading the first gulf 
war, said that the truly great leaders were also great followers. We in 
the Congress need to follow the lead of men and women from Fort Carson 
and commit to this cause. We must not waver when it is politically 
correct to do so, when the elections are near, or when the costs are 
high.
  The cost of failure is greater than any supplemental bill brought 
forward to this body. The cost of failure is immense. The cost of 
failure will be realized not only here but through out the Arab world. 
Iraq is a unique opportunity to show that freedom and democracy can 
flourish in the region.
  This mission is that important.
  Any loss of life is tragic and we must reflect on the ultimate 
sacrifice we ask of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines when we 
send them into harm's way. We always hope that every person that 
deploys to a war zone will return home to their parents, wives, 
children and community. Today we have four families who will be met by 
the dark green uniforms that they all dread.
  We can never bring SP Darius Jennings, SP Brian Penisten, SGT Ernest 
Bucklew or SSG Daniel Bader back to their families alive. As much as we 
would want, that is not possible. What Fort Carson is doing is 
`continuing the fight' and that is exactly what this Congress and this 
country needs to do. We need to continue the fight even when that means 
more money appropriated, even when that means a new round of 
deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan or other yet to be determined hot 
spots, even if that means standing up to the world community and 
demanding they do their share.
  The war on terror is not going to be won over night. The terrorists 
have been honing their skills and will not quit because we ask them to. 
Surgical strikes to obscure targets will not deter them. United Nations 
resolutions with no force deployment will not dissuade them. What will 
convince these international thugs is a commitment to stand firm in our 
responsibility and not second guess our actions when things get 
difficult.
  I stand today to honor these four fallen soldiers, each of the 
injured, and all of the men and women of Fort Carson. Your commitment 
and sense of duty is a commendable example to all Americans. I salute 
Fort Carson and everything the soldiers stand for, so let this body 
recognize SP Darius Jennings, SP Brian Penisten, SGT Ernest Bucklew, 
SSG Daniel Bader and all of Fort Carson left to carry on the fight and 
more importantly carry on the peace.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Enzi). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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