[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8835]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




REGARDING THE UNTIMELY DEATH OF SERGEANT ORLANDO MORALES IN AFGHANISTAN 
                           ON MARCH 29, 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 8, 2003

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today with a 
saddened heart for the untimely death of a resident in South Florida 
who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom. On Saturday, 
March 29, 2003, gunmen on motorcycles ambushed a U.S. military 
reconnaissance patrol in Southern Afghanistan and killed Sergeant 
Orlando Morales. I wish to express my deepest condolences to Ms. Maria 
Roxana Morales and the entire Morales family, and at the same time 
offer all my support and prayers.
  I believe a person's life is not measured by the time spent on this 
earth, but by what is accomplished while here. With this in mind, 
Sergeant Morales will always be considered a hero. The ultimate passing 
of any true hero is a tragedy.
  This tragedy only crystallizes the great risk and danger these brave 
men experience in the name of the people of the United States. All of 
America mourns the loss of our military men and women, though we cannot 
feel the depth of the families' pain. We never forget that the peace 
and prosperity that we enjoy are founded on the ultimate sacrifices 
made by those who have lost their lives in war throughout our nation's 
history. They have earned our gratitude and respect.
  Because of the very high regard in which I hold all members of the 
armed services, it is especially disturbing to me when one of these 
fine young men or women is killed. By any measure, their contributions, 
in terms of human sacrifice, are immense. As a nation we share the 
sense of loss that the Morales family is experiencing. Though sorrow 
runs deep, our pride for Orlando Morales shines brightly.

                          ____________________