[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21309]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO ARMY STAFF SERGEANT (SSG) DARREN J. CUNNINGHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 5, 2004

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a fallen hero, Army 
Staff Sergeant (SSG) Darren J. Cunningham of Groton, Massachusetts. SSG 
Cunningham was deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and died 
tragically on September 30th when his unit came under mortar attack in 
Baghdad. He gave his life in service to our country, and we will 
forever be grateful.
  Ever since he was a young boy, SSG Cunningham knew he wanted to 
pursue a career in the military. His eighth grade teacher recalls 
Darren talking about wanting to join the armed forces so that he could 
serve our country with pride. For Darren, the military stood for more 
than a respectable job: it offered education, discipline, and a chance 
to travel. The quote on high school yearbook page said it all: ``My 
ambition is to enjoy life to the fullest, see the world.''
  At the age of eighteen, Darren graduated from high school and 
immediately enlisted in the Army. He moved up through the ranks of the 
545th Military Police Company of the Army's First Cavalry, stationed at 
Fort Hood in Texas. He served nobly during the Persian Gulf War in 1991 
and returned to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom to train Iraqi 
police and help rebuild local infrastructure. He planned to retire next 
year.
  SSG Cunningham leaves behind a wife and two children who adored him. 
His friends and family remember him as spirited, outgoing, fun, and a 
jokester. A great athlete, one of his proudest moments was being chosen 
as co-captain of the high school varsity basketball team. Today, SSG 
Cunningham's relatives, friends, community, and Nation mourn his loss.
  SSG Cunningham died fighting for the country he loved, alongside his 
comrades-in-arms. Our Nation is humbled and grateful for his sacrifice. 
I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to a father, husband 
and hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

                          ____________________