[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 22]
[Senate]
[Pages 29927-29928]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today in honor of a fellow Iowan 
and a great American, CWO4 Bruce A. Smith, who recently gave his life 
in service to his country as a pilot in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Chief 
Warrant Officer Smith was killed on November 2, 2003, after his 
helicopter was attacked by a surface-to-air missile 40 miles west of 
Baghdad in central Iraq. He is survived by his wife Oliva, his 15-year-
old daughter Savannah, his 12-year-old son Nathan, his sisters Carol 
and Brenda, and his brother Brian, as well as numerous other family 
members, friends, and loved ones. Our deepest sympathies go out to the 
members of Chief Warrant Officer Smith's family and to all those who 
have been touched by his untimely passing.
  Our Nation's strength resides in the hearts of the men and the women 
who serve in its defense. The liberties we prize and the freedoms we 
cherish would not exist if it were not for those who courageously risk 
their lives while serving in our Nation's Armed Forces. Although our 
history books are filled with the names of those great patriots whose 
actions defined our Nation's founding, and although we stand in awe of 
our fathers and our grandfathers for the heroism they displayed during 
the great wars of the 20th century, from time to time we are reminded 
that men and women of such stature can still be found defending our 
Nation and our way of life.
  Today, we pay tribute to one such man, CWO4 Bruce A. Smith. Chief 
Warrant Officer Smith enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard as a 
senior in high school, serving his Nation with distinction for more 
than 23 years, first as a medic and then as a pilot, before losing his 
life in Iraq. Chief Warrant Officer Smith's exemplary career in the 
National Guard, his commitment to his family, and his sense of duty 
attest to his character as an outstanding American.
  As I stand before you today to honor a fallen patriot, I would also 
like to use this opportunity to extend my deepest sympathies to Chief 
Warrant Officer Smith's loved ones. While we share their grief, we 
cannot possibly fully understand their sense of loss. We owe them a 
debt that can never be repaid and I know they will be in the thoughts 
and prayers of many Americans
  CWO4 Bruce A. Smith has entered the ranks of our Nation's great 
patriots, and his courage, his dedication to duty, and his sacrifice 
are all testaments to his status as a true American hero. Let us always 
remember Chief Warrant Officer Smith's service to our Nation.
  I also speak today in honor of a fellow Iowan and a great American, 
SGT Paul F. ``Ringo'' Fisher, who recently gave his life in service to 
his country as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On November 2, 2003, 
the helicopter in which Sergeant Fisher was riding was forced to make a 
crash landing about

[[Page 29928]]

40 miles west of Baghdad after being struck by a shoulder-fired 
missile. Sergeant Fisher sustained multiple injuries in the crash, 
which ultimately led to his death 4 days later on November 6, 2003, at 
the Homburg University Klinikum in Homburg, Germany. Sergeant Fisher is 
survived by his wife Karen, his stepson Jason, his mother Mary, his 
sister Brenda, and his brother David, as well as numerous other family 
members, friends, and loved ones.
  I ask my colleagues in the Senate and my fellow citizens across our 
great Nation to join me today in paying tribute to Sergeant Fisher for 
his bravery, for his dedication to the cause of freedom, and for his 
sacrifice in defense of the liberties we all so dearly prize. The 
selflessness of a soldier is unmatched in the history of human 
endeavors, and mankind knows no greater act of courage than that 
displayed by the individual upon sacrificing his life for his 
countrymen, their liberty, and their way of life.
  Although we honor Sergeant Fisher as a fallen patriot, we must also 
pay special tribute to his loved ones whose grief we share, but whose 
sense of loss we cannot possibly fully understand. My deepest sympathy 
goes out to the members of Sergeant Fisher's family, to his friends, 
and to all those who have been touched by his untimely passing. 
Although there is nothing I can offer that will ever compensate for 
their loss, I hope they will find some comfort in the thoughts and 
prayers of a grateful Nation who will be forever in their debt.
  Our national history is filled with ordinary men and women who 
sacrificed their lives in service to our country. An avid student of 
history, Sergeant Fisher enjoyed learning about the heroes who preceded 
him, especially those who brought our Nation through the great wars of 
the 20th century. It is thus with great solemnity that we today pay 
tribute to SGT Paul F. ``Ringo'' Fisher, who has himself attained 
heroic status, having joined the ranks of our Nation's greatest 
patriots and history's most courageous souls.

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