[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7655]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                            William Labadie

  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to one of 
Arkansas' heroes who has paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of his 
Nation. Sgt. 1st Class William W. Labadie, 45, a native of Bauxite, AR, 
was mortally wounded on April 7, 2004, during an attack by insurgents 
on his camp just south of Baghdad.
  William Labadie, known to his friends as Wild Bill, joined the Marine 
Corps right after high school. After serving in the Corps for 8 years 
he returned home and later became a member of the Arkansas National 
Guard. Sgt. Labadie was known as a real soldier's soldier. He took his 
responsibilities seriously and was excited by the opportunity to use 
his training in the service of his country. After having been in Iraq 
for less than a month and in a combat zone for less than 24 hours, Sgt. 
Labadie was fatally wounded when his camp came under a mortar and small 
arms attack.
  Our condolences and prayers go out to William's wife, Sunnie, of Del 
City, OK; to his son, Bryan; and to his parents, Cheryl and Carl 
Winters of Bauxite, AR.
  William's mother, Cheryl, was quoted in our State's newspaper, the 
Benton Courier, as saying that ``[t]his honestly was his goal in life. 
He knew that this was his last shot at 45 years old. He told his 
commanding officer: `Give me a shot.' It was like he was going to 
Disneyland.'' That kind of enthusiasm is what makes this nation great. 
We honor William's spirit and his strong resolve to take on the 
responsibility of advancing freedom to the world.


                         Brandon Clinton Smith

  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I also rise today to pay tribute to a 
son of Arkansas who gave up the security of his family and home to 
protect our freedoms in the war on terrorism. Marine Private First 
Class Brandon Clinton Smith, 20, of Fayetteville was killed on March 
17, 2004, in Al Qaim, Iraq, as he and three of his fellow Marines were 
racing to help comrades who had come under attack by insurgents.
  Brandon attended Fayetteville High School and dreamed of becoming a 
Marine. He fulfilled his dream by enlisting this past September. He was 
so proud of his decision that he framed his Marine Corps acceptance 
letter and hung it in his bedroom. Upon completing boot camp, Brandon 
became a member of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine 
Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
  Brandon was buried with full military honors in Fayetteville on 
Friday, March 26. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his father, Gordon 
Smith; to his mother, Deborah Bolin of West Fork; and to his sister, 
Desirae.
  An attendee at Brandon's funeral was quoted by the Associated Press 
as saying that ``[Brandon] made a great Marine. We could see he had 
changed when he came back from training. He had found himself.'' As 
this mission in Iraq continues, I am humbled that this young Marine 
found himself in so great a purpose as defending his nation.

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