[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25509]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO LANCE CORPORAL DIMITRIOS GAVRIEL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 6, 2004

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a fallen 
hero, LCpl Dimitrios Gavriel, of Haverhill, Massachusetts.
  Lance Corporal Gavriel was killed in action during the conflict in 
Fallujah, Iraq, on November 19, 2004, only days after voluntarily 
returning to the battlefield from a shrapnel wound. ``Dimmy,'' as he 
was known to those close to him, is survived by his mother, Penelope; 
his father, Chris; and his sister, Christina.
  Dimmy's family describes him as a deep thinker with big dreams. A 
quote from his diary says it all: ``I have heard that Great Men often 
kept journals--I'd like to be great.''
  After losing two friends in the September 11th terrorist attacks, 
Dimmy knew he wanted to make a difference in the world by joining the 
Marine Corps. When the service turned him down because of lingering 
injuries from his days as a high school wrestling champion, he wrote a 
letter to his local recruiting office pleading for them to reconsider. 
He would go on to turn down a lucrative career on Wall Street for the 
chance to serve our country as a Marine.
  Mr. Speaker, there is perhaps no better way to pay our respects to 
Dimmy Gavriel than to insert a poem of his into the Congressional 
Record entitled ``The Leader,'' in which he explores the themes of 
leadership and greatness. May Congress forever remember the greatness 
of this young man through his words as well as his heroic actions.

                               The Leader

                           (By Dimmy Gavriel)

     How will words of beauty
     Sprout root on deafened ears?
     When many choose to follow
     And so few dare to lead

     Forsaken dreams lie prisoners
     In vapid minds left blank
     Of countless, breathing numbers
     Lined up along the track

     And then there are the dreamers
     Who see beyond the shroud
     Distinct are they among us
     They shuffle through the crowd

     Hope lives among so few
     Yet strong it is I know
     For I am still a dreamer
     Along the track I go

                          ____________________