[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10462]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise to share with the Members of this 
esteemed body the story of Lance Corporal Donald John Cline. John's 
wife Tina wants to make sure that their young sons know that their dad 
was ``a proud father, a proud husband, and a proud Marine.'' Dakota, 
two and a half, and Dillon, 7 months, won't be able to know him as they 
grow up because their father gave his life in Iraq to protect this 
nation and defend our freedom. As part of the legacy he left to his 
boys, I honor him today.
  John and Tina met and became friends in 1997 when their families 
lived in the same apartment complex and both attended Reed High School 
in Sparks, NV. According to Tina, John always wanted to be a Marine, 
and he was already signed up and ready to join during his senior year 
of high school.
  John graduated from Marine boot camp on October 20, 2000. The next 
day, he and Tina were married at the American Legion Hall. John was 
assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine 
Expeditionary Brigade based at Camp Lejeune, NC. Just after last 
Christmas, John received his orders to ship out to the Middle East.
  On March 23, John was killed in an amphibious vehicle hit by enemy 
fire during an ambush in the southern Iraq town of An Nasiriyah. Lance 
Corporal Cline was 21 years old when he died. Tina says that she ``saw 
a teenager grow up to be a man.''
  Unfortunately, I did not know John, but I can assure you that the 
dedication of this brave, proud Marine has touched my life. John's 
service to this Nation, on behalf of all of us, is truly inspiring. I 
want Tina and her boys to know that we are a grateful Nation for the 
man John became and for his courageous contributions to the United 
States of America and freedom-loving nations around the world.
  I know my colleagues join me in praying for strength for John's wife 
and children as they deal with the loss of this American hero. As his 
young sons grow, I hope they will realize how grateful this Nation is 
for their sacrifice and the ultimate sacrifice that their father made.
  God bless the Cline family.

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