[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3035-3036]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                           SGT CORY R. MRACEK

  Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, SGT Cory R. Mracek was a 
dedicated and distinguished soldier who loved the military and was 
excited to go to Iraq. He attended Chadron State College for one 
semester before joining the National Guard and then later, the U.S. 
Army.
  He spent his first year in Korea, where he was awarded several 
medals. He was chosen to be a United Nations Command Honor Guard for 6 
weeks, an honor for which only the best soldiers were chosen. He came 
home 4 years later and worked as a night stocker at Wal-Mart. However, 
army life was calling him and he missed it more than he thought. He re-
enlisted and was again stationed in Korea for 12 months. Because of the 
war in Iraq, his tour was extended to 15 months. He returned to the 
States in October 2003 and proceeded to Ft. Benning, GA, where he

[[Page 3036]]

trained to be a paratrooper. He loved the thrill the first time he 
jumped from the plane and it had been his dream to be a part of the 
82nd Airborne Unit in Fort Bragg, NC. He had been in Iraq just 8 days 
when a roadside bomb exploded west of Baghdad and killed him and two 
other soldiers.
  SGT Cory Mracek's sacrifice will forever remind this Nation of the 
danger that comes with the duty to protect our Nation's interests and 
the freedoms of other arounds the world. As a nation we are grateful to 
soldiers like Cory Mracek who make the ultimate sacrifice so that all 
Americans can live in freedom.


                          SGT DENNIS A. CORRAL

  Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, SGT Dennis Corral served our 
Nation bravely and honorably. He entered the Army in 1989 and later 
left the service to pursue other interests. In 1997 he re-entered the 
Army and was sent to Iraq in December of 2003. Corral was not scheduled 
for deployment to Iraq until January 2004, but he volunteered to go 
earlier in place of another soldier who was married and had children. 
Sergeant Corral was not one to complain, and readily accepted every 
task that was asked of him. His arrival was greatly anticipated by his 
company, as they had been without a supply sergeant, and were greatly 
in need of his skills. Immediately upon his arrival, he set to work 
improving the company supply system--organizing, filing, and issuing 
out equipment. In all that he did he showed his dedication and his love 
for serving his country. Sergeant Corral was the first American soldier 
to die in Iraq in 2004. SGT Dennis A. Corral will always be remembered 
as a soldier who fought for freedom and made the ultimate sacrifice on 
behalf of his country.

                          ____________________