[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14267]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING SERGEANT JOHAN CHRISTIAN BAGGE AND SECOND LIEUTENANT TIMOTHY 
                                 BOMKE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 24, 2005

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of two 
patriots who have made tremendous sacrifices as part of Operation Iraqi 
Freedom to help preserve and expand the liberty that we all hold dear.
  Sergeant Johan Christian Bagge of Eugene and Second Lieutenant 
Timothy Bomke of Portland are members of the National Guard from my 
home State of Oregon. They were called to active duty with Alpha 
Company of the Third Battalion of the 116th Cavalry and conducted 
training exercises at Ft. Polk, Louisiana and Ft. Bliss, Texas before 
transferring to Iraq at the end of last year. I had the honor of 
meeting with many of the citizen soldiers who comprise Alpha Company 
when I visited both forts during their training.
  Since that time they conducted regular mobile infantry missions to 
secure dangerous areas of Iraq and to help Iraqis rebuild their country 
after decades under Saddam Hussein's ruthless regime. On the morning of 
June 3rd they were traveling in a convoy toward Forward Operating Base 
Warrior near Kirkuk as part of a road clearing mission when, without 
warning, two separate roadside bombs detonated, damaging two of the 
three vehicles in the convoy and injuring ten of the soldiers.
  Both Sgt. Bagge and Lt. Bomke sustained severe wounds in the attack 
and were transferred back to the United States for further treatment. 
They were brought to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC briefly to 
begin their recoveries and have since been relocated to Brooke Army 
Medical Center and Ft. Lewis. From conversations with family and 
friends, I understand that these soldiers have maintained extremely 
positive attitudes throughout their ordeals even as they've undergone a 
series of significant medical procedures.
  Mr. Speaker, these two men exemplify the honorable character of the 
men and women who have answered duty's call throughout our Nation's 
history. Their willingness to serve and sacrifice for our country is a 
clear demonstration of the courage and professionalism that distinguish 
our armed forces. This grateful Nation owes these men and their 
compatriots in arms who serve around the world every day a profound 
debt of gratitude. I am proud to call Sgt. Bagge and Lt. Bomke fellow 
Oregonians, I thank them for their service and I wish them both a 
healthy recovery.
  God bless America.

                          ____________________