[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20989-20990]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                  Lance Corporal Michael Allred, USMC

                  Lance Corporal Quinn A. Keith, USMC

              Lance Corporal Cesar F. Machado-Olmos, USMC

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, September was a hard month for the people 
of Utah. Three more of our sons were called home into the arms of God. 
Each was a Marine, each a Lance Corporal, each did not live to see 
their 23rd birthday. I hope that my colleagues will join me in saluting 
these brave men of honor, who died to defend this nation and to bring 
freedom to an oppressed people.
  Lance Corporal Michael Allred was a young man who knew he wanted to 
be in the military. His brother Brad said it best, that Lance Corporal 
Allred ``was happy to serve, and he knew what he was doing was right . 
. . he died doing something he loved.''
  Ironically, Lance Corporal Allred was killed in the same attack that 
also took the life of another one of Utah's sons, Lance Corporal Quinn 
A. Keith. His family asked that I write a few words that were shared at 
his funeral. While I was learning about his life, I will always 
remember what his uncle Clyde said about Lance Corporal Keith, ``He was 
scared to be there, but he knew he had to be there.''
  The third name to be added to this list of honor is Lance Corporal 
Cesar F. Machado-Olmos. His life is also extraordinary, since at the 
time of his death, he had not yet become an American citizen. Imagine, 
a young man who loved this country so much that before he even became a 
citizen he entered into a life of service and chose to earn the title 
of United States Marine.
  Our Nation is truly blessed, not because of our material wealth or 
our influence across the globe. Our Nation is blessed because the ideas 
of freedom and liberty still echo in the minds of the young men and 
women of this country, and in the most selfless of acts, they 
volunteered to defend our Nation. These three men, Lance Corporal 
Michael Allred, Lance Corporal Quinn A. Keith and Lance Corporal Cesar 
F. Machado-Olmos epitomized the sacrifice and devotion to duty that is 
required to earn the noble title of United States Marine. The United 
States Senate and I stand in humble tribute to these Marines. They will 
be missed but never forgotten.

[[Page 20990]]



                          ____________________