[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   ALAN BABIN, A TRUE TEXAS WAR HERO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Burgess). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, tonight I stand here to recognize one of 
Texas's finest soldiers and a true Texas hero. On March 31, 2003, Alan 
Babin of the First Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment started 
his second day of war. On that day, the third platoon, a platoon that 
he had recently joined, was working to secure a bridge on the Euphrates 
River near Samawah when enemy fire intensified and a soldier took a 
shot in the head. Alan, who was a paratrooper medic, gave up cover and 
sprinted the 20 meters to aid the soldier. In that sprint, Alan took a 
shot in the belly. That single action has warranted Alan the title of 
war hero; a purple heart, a bronze star medal with V for valor. 
However, neither Alan's brave action nor the rewards that followed came 
at a small price.
  Alan is a fourth generation military man. Both his mother and father 
served in the military. Now he is fighting a second battle, and it is a 
long battle. He is fighting that battle from a hospital room.
  Today he has undergone over 70 surgeries. He has battled severe 
infection, meningitis, and stroke. Alan lay on the battlefield for 3 
hours in pain until he was evacuated to the USS Comfort where he 
received excellent medical treatment by the folks there and very loving 
people that took care of him; but in the process, he suffered a stroke, 
and this infection grew rampant in his entire abdominal cavity. Most 
people did not think Alan was going to make it. The doctors said, if 
you are people of faith, you need to begin to pray.
  My colleagues need to understand Alan's family. His mother, Rosy, and 
his dad, Alan, and his sister Christy, they went to the task. Rosy 
started e-mailing her friends and relatives and neighbors in Round 
Rock, Texas, and in the rest of Texas; and this spread throughout the 
entire country until thousands of people began to pray for this young 
man and to send encouragement.
  When we got Alan finally here at Walter Reed, he was still with an 
exposed abdominal cavity, which had to be washed every night to fight 
the infection, and this 23-year-old man was fighting that battle with 
his mother by his side, and she has vowed not to leave his side until 
he is well. His little sister came up here to visit him. His dad was 
here by his side. Now, these folks, along with the folks back in Round 
Rock, Texas, are helping Alan battle through this terrible tragedy.
  Alan continues to persevere daily, and he is overcoming all of the 
odds and the doctors say, whatever you are doing, keep doing it. These 
obstacles are being overcome. Just the other day I ran into Rosy in 
church and she told me, Alan actually picked up his glasses and put 
them on his own nose. That shows his motor skills are coming back from 
the stroke. That little victory was a huge thing for his mother. They 
have closed his wounds; the infection is going away. He has come from 
months and months in bed to therapy sessions. In the doctors' eyes and 
in the generals' eyes, this young man has overcome the worst odds that 
anybody can overcome. Now, each day it is a blessing that he continues 
to recover.
  His service and his sacrifice has not gone unnoticed. The folks back 
home, knowing that Alan would not be able to climb stairs, the folks in 
Round Rock, Texas, the builders and contractors went and built a room 
on their two-story house at ground level so that Alan will be able to 
negotiate to and from his bedroom when he gets to come home. The whole 
community is behind this family.
  During his stay at Walter Reed Hospital, he was visited by many, many 
people, including President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of 
State Colin Powell, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Members of 
Congress, and numerous other military officials. I was there when he 
was awarded his medals, and one could see what was important in this 
young man's heart, because every time they called him paratrooper, his 
eyes sparkled and one could tell that he knew that they were talking 
about something of which he was proud.
  Today is almost the anniversary of that tremendous wound that Alan 
suffered. He is recovering, through the grace of God and some wonderful 
medical people across this country. He is now back at least in Texas 
undergoing therapy, recovering every day, only because he and his 
family are true heroes who support the effort of this country and are 
proud of the service of their son. Alan, along with his family, serves 
as an inspiration for his fellow soldiers, as well as his fellow 
Texans. We in Texas are very proud of Alan and we say, God bless 
America and God bless Alan for his sacrifice. Alan Babin is a Texas 
hero.

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