[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10511-10512]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, now that President Bush has declared an end 
to combat operations in Iraq, it is important that we take a moment to 
pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. 
As we celebrate the swift and stunning victory in Iraq achieved by our 
men and women in uniform, we must be careful not to forget the pain and 
loss of those families whose loved ones fell on the field of battle.
  In my home State of Indiana, seven families have suffered the 
devastating loss of a loved one during this relatively brief military 
campaign. Seven truly fine young men will not be coming home to victory 
parades and joyful reunions. This Nation takes rightful pride in the 
extraordinary accomplishments of our Armed Forces, and we rejoice that 
the war has come to such a quick end. But we must always temper these 
feelings with the knowledge that this victory did not come cheaply.
  Today, I would like to pay tribute to those from Indiana who made the 
ultimate sacrifice in this war.
  Indiana National Guard Specialist Brian Clemens of Kokomo, was the 
State's first casualty of this war. Specialist Clemens, who was 19, 
died in Kuwait on February 6--six weeks before the ground attack into 
Kuwait got under way. He was riding in a Humvee which overturned. He 
was serving with the 1st Battalion, 293d Infantry, one of two Indiana 
National Guard units mobilized to provide a robust force protection 
presence in the Persian Gulf. The units' 1,320 soldiers are guarding 
U.S. military installations and supply lines in Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar.
  Specialist Clemens was an Eagle Scout and a graduate of Maconaquah 
High School, where he was a dedicated member of the wrestling team. 
Before being called to active duty, he was working at Wal-Mart and 
saving money to enroll in college. He is survived by his mother and 
stepfather, Cathy and Terry McCreay of Kokomo, and his father, Robert 
Clemens of Dayton, OH. Many of Brian's friends are still in the Persian 
Gulf region, and they have memorialized his death by wearing black 
wristbands.
  Brian Clemens will be missed.
  Marine Lance Corporal David Fribley, who grew up in Warsaw, IN, was 
killed on March 23. He was riding in an armored vehicle that 
encountered a group of Iraqi soldiers waiving a white flag. The Iraqis 
moved close and then suddenly opened fire. A rocket-propelled grenade 
exploded against his vehicle and he was killed. Eight other Marines in 
his unit were also killed in that encounter.
  Lance Corporal Fribley was 26 years old when he died. He had been a 
Marine for not quite a year. The middle child of Gary and Linda 
Fribley, he decided to enlist after 9/11 because he wanted to do 
something for his country. He didn't have to go. His decision came just 
months after he graduated from Indiana State University, and he had a 
good job as a recreation director in a retirement home complex.
  But Lance Corporal Fribley felt he had a duty to serve his country. 
In high school, he had lettered in football and track all four years. 
One of his football coaches describes him as the poster boy for Marine 
Corps commercials--tall, strong and unrelenting in his work ethic.
  Warsaw, IN, is a small and tightly-knit community of tree-lined 
streets and well-kept homes. Lance Corporal Fribley's funeral was held 
in the high school gym because a large crowd was expected. Every seat 
was filled. Many of the town's military veterans put on their old 
uniforms and medals and lined the streets to render a salute to David's 
flag-draped coffin as it passed by.
  David Fribley will be missed.
  Army Specialist Gregory Sanders, of Hobart, IN, was killed by a 
sniper's bullet on March 24. He was a tank crewman assigned to the 
Third Infantry Division. Greg was 19 when he died. Specialist Sanders 
joined the Army shortly after graduating from Hobart High School, where 
he had been captain of the cross-country team. He had always wanted to 
be in the military, just like his dad, Richard, who died of a heart 
attack when Specialist Sanders was 15.
  His mother, Leslie Sanders, told the local newspaper her earliest 
memory of her son was watching him play in a backyard sandbox with 
plastic toy soldiers. Dig a little and you can still find

[[Page 10512]]

some of his soldiers. It was only 12 years ago. When residents of the 
town of Hobart learned of his death, they conducted a special 
candlelight service in his memory in front of the Doughboy Statue in 
the center of town. They laid flowers, candles, ribbons and wreaths all 
around the statue, creating an impromptu monument to the town's fallen 
soldier.
  Specialist Sanders leaves behind a wife, Ruthann, and a 14-month-old 
daughter, Gwendolyn. He was buried in Calumet Park Cemetery near 
Merrillville next to his father.
  Greg Sanders will be missed.
  Specialist William A. Jeffries of the Indiana National Guard died 
March 31 after falling ill in Kuwait, where his unit was guarding U.S. 
military bases. He was 39 years old. Doctors told his family he died in 
a Navy hospital in Spain of a pulmonary embolism and acute 
pancreatitis.
  Specialist Jeffries lived in Evansville, IN, with his wife, B.J. 
Unusually tall at 6-foot-5, he was known for his gentle nature. He had 
graduated from Reitz High School in 1982 and then served 10 years on 
active duty in the Air Force. Many of Indiana's National Guard members 
have prior service. Not only do they continue serving their country in 
uniform, but they find a camaraderie that just does not exist in 
civilian life.
  Indiana is very proud of the contribution its National Guard units 
are making to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Specialist Jeffries' unit was 
one of two Indiana National Guard infantry battalions mobilized to 
provide a robust force protection presence in the Persian Gulf. The 
units' 1,320 soldiers are guarding U.S. military installations and 
supply lines in Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar.
  Just before his battalion departed for Kuwait, Specialist Jeffries 
was given emergency leave to attend the funeral of his father, Kenneth. 
Although it was a sad occasion, it brought him together with his 
mother, Marie, and five older brothers for the first time in many 
years.
  William Jeffries will be missed.
  Marine Sergeant Duane Rios of Griffith, IN, was killed on April 4 
during a firefight on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was 25 years old and 
the leader of a squad of combat engineers trained to do such things as 
build roads and bridges, clear minefields and handle explosives.
  Sergeant Rios joined the Marines after graduating from Griffith High 
School in 1996, and he thrived on the experience. He and his wife, 
Erica, who had been his high school sweetheart, were making a good life 
together in San Clemente, CA, close to Camp Pendleton where he was 
stationed.
  During his high school years in Griffith, Sergeant Rios lived with 
his late grandmother. He was a popular student remembered by his 
teachers as having an infectious smile. He last spoke to Erica by 
telephone the day after Valentine's Day. He told her he loved her and 
missed her and that the only other thing he needed was a hot shower.
  On the day of his funeral in Griffith, some 500 mourners gathered at 
St. Mary Roman Catholic Church. Many had to stand outside. The Griffith 
and Highland fire departments unfurled a giant American Flag across 
Broad Street, and police from departments all across northwest Indiana 
took part in the funeral procession.
  Duane Rios will be missed.
  Army Private First Class Jason M. Meyer, whose father, Loren Meyer, 
lives in South Bend, died on April 8 from wounds suffered during the 
fighting at Baghdad International Airport. Army investigators believe 
he was struck by an errant round fired from an Abrams tank. The round 
struck a building and ricocheted into his vehicle.
  PFC Meyer, 23, died one week after he and his wife, Melissa, had 
marked their first wedding anniversary. He was a combat engineer with 
Bravo Company, 11th Engineers, 3rd Infantry Division, and drove an 
armored personnel carrier during the division's now famous lightning 
drive from Kuwait to Baghdad.
  In 1999, PFC Meyer graduated from high school in Howell, MI, where he 
lived with his mother, Kathleen Worthington, and joined the Army two 
years later. He met his wife at a Halloween corn maze three years ago. 
She told a local newspaper that she will remember her husband for his 
ever-present sense of humor, which always kept her laughing. The last 
time she talked to him was by telephone was in late February while his 
unit was in Kuwait. He reported that he and his buddies had adopted a 
three-foot lizard as their pet, and that they were feeding it Meals 
Ready to Eat.
  Jason was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military 
honors. During the ceremony Melissa was presented with her husband's 
Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals.
  Jason Meyer will be missed.
  Army Reserve Specialist Roy Buckley of Portage died on April 22 from 
injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident in Baghdad. A fuel truck 
driver, he was less than a month away from his 25th birthday when he 
died.
  He was a member of the 685th Transportation Company of Hobart, IN, 
whose 170 members, mostly heavy truck drivers, were mobilized to 
provide support for the 3rd Infantry Division. In civilian life, he 
worked at Midwest Steel, and his goal was to become a police officer.
  Specialist Buckley was engaged to another member of his Army Reserve 
unit, Jenina Bellina, and they planned to marry soon after they 
returned from the Persian Gulf.
  He had called his mother, Janie Espinoza, on Easter Sunday and 
speculated that he might even be home to see her by Mother's Day. In 
addition to his mother, he is survived by two brothers, a sister and a 
6-year-old daughter.
  Roy Buckley will be missed.
  Our hearts go out to all of these families. We shall all mourn for 
the loss of these seven fine young men. It is my hope that these 
families will take comfort in knowing that their young men gave their 
lives to a noble and worthy cause--freeing the Iraqi people from a 
brutal dictator and making the world a safer place for all Americans.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I rise today to express our nation's 
thanks and gratitude to a young man and his family from Rock Springs, 
WY. On April 14, Private First Class Joseph Mayek was killed while 
serving in Iraq. PFC Mayek was critically wounded by an armor piercing 
round that appears to have been discharged from an M2 Bradley fighting 
vehicle. While the circumstances of this incident are still under 
investigation, I hope the final report will provide information that 
can help us understand how this happened.
  PFC Mayek was a vibrant young man who loved being outdoors and 
enjoyed sports. During his senior year at Rock Springs High School, 
Joseph played split end and cornerback for his high school football 
team. Soon after graduating in 2001, he joined the United States Army. 
Upon completion of basic training he was assigned to C Company, 2nd 
Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment in Germany.
  President Bush recently addressed the Nation to declare victory in 
the Battle for Iraq. This was a monumental task accomplished by the 
dedicated people and their families who serve in our Armed Forces. 
America's men and women who answer the call of service and wear our 
Nation's uniform deserve respect and recognition for the load that they 
alone must bear. Our people put everything on the line everyday, and 
because of these folks, our nation is more secure and remains strong in 
the face of danger.
  We say goodbye to a son, a soldier and an American. Our Nation pays 
its deepest respect to Private First Class Mayek for his courage, his 
love of country and his sacrifice, so that we may remain free.

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