[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1447]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO U.S. MARINE CORPO- RAL CHRISTOPHER L. WEAVER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LINDER

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 2, 2005

  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, this morning, I was informed by one of my 
staff that a childhood acquaintance of his, U.S. Marine Corporal 
Christopher L. Weaver, was killed in action in Iraq just last week.
  His death is a reminder that this current war on terror has affected 
American families and their friends every day since September 11, 2001, 
in Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the globe. In this case, Corporal 
Weaver grew up in the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. This quiet but 
intelligent and energetic young man was a lifelong Boy Scout who 
eventually attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He was also a graduate of 
Virginia Tech University, where he became a Reservist for the United 
States Marine Corps. After serving for 6 years in the Marine Reserves, 
Corporal Weaver was asked to serve his country by going to Iraq. It was 
there, in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq, that Corporal Weaver was 
killed on January 26, 2005.
  I do not pretend to believe that all will share the same views of our 
presence in Iraq, and while I am encouraged by the acts of democracy 
playing out over the nation's countryside this past weekend, only 
history can tell whether our means will inevitably lead to their 
intended ends. Nevertheless, while we may not all agree on the 
substance or rationale behind this war, we can agree that this war has 
had a profound effect on all Americans.
  History immortalizes those whose selfless acts and deeds of bravery 
were made in the hopes of bringing a greater good not just for their 
country, but for humanity as a whole. We know them as heroes. I am 
proud of the service and the sacrifice made by those troops who have 
given their lives so that people can live in freedom. Corporal Weaver 
and those across the nation that we have lost may not have considered 
themselves to be heroes. America, however, should. And though these 
heroes may no longer be in this world, their families and their fellow 
citizens should know that they continue to live on in our minds, in our 
hearts, and in our prayers now and forever.

                          ____________________