[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5550]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          IN MEMORY OF SGT. 1ST CLASS RICHARD STEVEN GOTTFRIED

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 29, 2004

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, it is with sadness that I inform the House 
of the death of Sgt. 1st Class Richard Steven Gottfried of Lake Ozark, 
Missouri. Sgt. Gottfried was killed when the Humvee he was riding in 
was hit by a bomb near Tikrit, Iraq.
  In Sgt. Gottfried's family, miliary service was a tradition. His 
grandfather was a prisoner of war during World War II, his father was 
wounded in Vietnam, and his brother retired from the service. He was 
proud to serve his country, and he did so with courage and distinction.
  Sgt. Gottfried was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the 
Purple Heart. But these medals were by no means the extent of the honor 
bestowed upon him. The more than 400 people who attended his funeral, 
the tears of pain and the sounds of laughter as friends and family 
remembered the good times they shared with Steven all commemorated a 
life of kindness and service to others.
  Mr. Speaker, when Sgt. Gottfried was killed he was nearing 20 years 
of service to his country in the U.S. Army and was preparing to retire. 
I know the Members of the House will join me in extending heartfelt 
condolences to his wife, Mary Jo; his son, Eric; and his daughter, 
Ashley.

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