[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19170-19172]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO SOLDIERS

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I rise to pay tribute to 32 young 
Americans who have been killed in Iraq since April 23. This brings to 
434 the number of soldiers who were either from California or based in 
California who have been killed while serving our country in Iraq. This 
represents 24 percent of all U.S. deaths in Iraq.
  SGT Anthony J. Davis, age 22, died April 23 in Mosul when a vehicle-
borne improvised explosive device detonated near his Stryker military 
vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 
1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, WA. He was from Long 
Beach, CA.
  CPL Kevin W. Prince, age 22, died April 23 in Baghdad of injuries 
sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his 
humvee. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry 
Regiment, Fort Irwin, CA.
  SGT Timothy C. Kiser, age 37, died April 28 in Riyhad, Iraq when an 
improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol. He was assigned 
to the Army National Guard's 340th Forward Support Battalion, 40th 
Infantry Division, Red Bluff, CA. He was from Tehama, CA.
  CPT Stephen W. Frank, age 29, died April 29 in Diyarah, Iraq when a 
vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated as he was 
conducting a traffic control point inspection. He was assigned to 2nd 
Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, CA.
  CPT Ralph J. Harting III, age 28, died April 29 in Diyarah, Iraq when 
a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated as he was 
conducting a traffic control point inspection. He was assigned to 2nd 
Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, CA.
  SSG Juan De Dios Garcia-Arana, age 27, died April 30 in Khaladiyah, 
Iraq when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle was attacked by enemy forces 
using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 5th Air 
Defense Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Hovey, Korea. 
He was from Los Angeles, CA.
  MAJ John C. Spahr, age 42, died May 2 from injuries received when the 
F/A-18 Hornet aircraft he was piloting apparently crashed in Iraq. He 
was assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, Marine Aircraft 
Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, 
CA. His unit was embarked aboard the U.S.S. Carl Vinson.
  CPT Kelly C. Hinz, age 30, died May 2 from injuries received when the 
F/A-18 Hornet aircraft he was piloting crashed in Iraq while flying in 
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was assigned to Marine Fighter 
Attack Squadron 323, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft 
Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA. His unit was embarked 
aboard the U.S.S. Carl Vinson.
  SGT Stephen P. Saxton, age 24, died May 3 in Baghdad when his unit 
was conducting a route security mission and an improvised explosive 
device detonated near his humvee. He was assigned to the Army's 3rd 
Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, CO. He was from Temecula, CA.
  LCPL John T. Schmidt III, age 21, died May 11 from wounds received as 
a result of an explosion while conducting combat operations against 
enemy forces in Al Anbar Province on January 30. He was assigned to 3rd 
Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC. 
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to the 1st Marine 
Division, Camp Pendleton, CA.
  SGT John M. Smith, age 22, died May 12 in Iskandariyah, Iraq from 
injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near 
his vehicle. He was assigned to the Army's 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored 
Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, CA.
  SFC Randy D. Collins, age 36, died May 24 at the National Naval 
Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland of injuries sustained in Mosul on 
May 4 during a mortar attack. He was assigned to the Army's 11th 
Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, CA. He was from Long Beach, CA.
  MAJ Ricardo A. Crocker, age 39, died May 26 from a rocket propelled 
grenade explosion while conducting combat operations in Hadithah, Iraq. 
He was assigned to the Marine Corps Reserve's 3rd Civil Affairs Group, 
Camp Lejeune, NC. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached 
to II Marine Expeditionary Force. He was from Mission Viejo, CA.
  SGT Mark A. Maida, age 22, died May 27 in Baghdad of injuries 
sustained in Diyarah, Iraq on May 26 when an improvised explosive 
device detonated near his humvee. He was assigned to the Army's 2nd 
Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, CA.
  1st Sgt Michael S. Barnhill, age 39, died May 28 after his vehicle 
stuck an improvised explosive device near Haqlaniyah, Iraq. He was 
assigned to the Marine Corps Reserve's 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 
4th Force Service Support Group, Eugene, OR. During Operation Iraqi 
Freedom, his unit was attached to II Marine Expeditionary Force. He was 
from Folsom, CA.
  CPL Jeffrey B. Starr, age 22, died May 30 from small-arms fire while 
conducting combat operations against enemy forces near Ar Ramadi, Iraq. 
He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine 
Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit 
was attached to II Marine Expeditionary Force.
  CPT Derek Argel, age 28, died May 30 in the crash of an Iraqi air 
force aircraft during a training mission in eastern Diyala province. He 
was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, FL. 
He was from Lompoc, CA.
  CPL Antonio Mendoza, age 21, died June 3 at Brook Army Medical 
Center, San Antonio, TX from wounds received as a result of an 
explosion while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Ar 
Ramadi, Iraq on February 22. At the time of his injury, he was assigned 
to 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp 
Pendleton, CA. He was from Santa Ana, CA.
  LCPL Daniel Chavez, age 20, died June 9 as a result of explosion 
while conducting combat operations with the 2nd Marine Division in 
Haqlaniyah, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine 
Division, Camp Pendleton, CA.
  LCpl Jonathan R. Flores, age 18, died June 15 when his vehicle hit an 
improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Ar 
Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 
1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. During Operation Iraqi 
Freedom, his unit was operating with the 2nd Infantry Division of the 
U.S. Army, which was attached to 2nd Marine Division.
  LCpl Jesse Jaime, age 22, died June 15 when his vehicle hit an 
improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Ar 
Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine 
Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. During Operation 
Iraqi Freedom, his unit was operating with the 2nd Infantry Division of 
the U.S. Army, which was attached to 2nd Marine Division.
  LCpl Tyler S. Trovillion, age 23, died June 15 when his vehicle hit 
an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near 
Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 
1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. During Operation Iraqi 
Freedom, his unit was operating with the 2nd Infantry Division of the 
U.S. Army, which was attached to 2nd Marine Division.
  LCpl Dion M. Whitley, age 21, died June 15 when his vehicle hit an 
improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Ar 
Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 
1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. During Operation Iraqi 
Freedom, his unit was operating with the 2nd Infantry Division of the 
U.S. Army, which was attached to 2nd Marine Division. He was from Los 
Angeles, CA.
  LCpl Chad B. Maynard, age 19, died June 15 when his vehicle hit an 
improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Ar 
Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion,

[[Page 19171]]

5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. During 
Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was operating with the 2nd Infantry 
Division of the U.S. Army, which was attached to 2nd Marine Division.
  Petty Officer 2nd Class Cesar O. Baez, age 37, died June 15 as a 
result of enemy small arms fire while conducting combat operations in 
al-Anbar Province. He was a Hospital Corpsman assigned to 2nd Marine 
Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force. He was from Pomona, CA.
  LCpl Erik R. Heldt, age 26, died June 16 when his vehicle hit an 
improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Ar 
Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 
1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. During Operation Iraqi 
Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division.
  CPT John W. Maloney, age 36, died June 16 when his vehicle hit an 
improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Ar 
Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 
1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. During Operation Iraqi 
Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division.
  SGT Arnold Duplantier II, age 26, died June 22 in Baghdad where he 
was providing cordon security, and was attacked by enemy forces using 
small arms fire. He was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st 
Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, Auburn, CA. He was from Sacramento, 
CA
  PFC Veashna Muy, age 20, died June 23 while traveling in a convoy 
that was attacked by a suicide, vehicle-borne, improvised explosive 
device in Fallujah. He was assigned to the 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd 
Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC. He was from Los Angeles, CA.
  Petty Officer 1st Class Regina R. Clark, age 43, died June 23 in a 
convoy that was attacked by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device 
in Fallujah. She was a culinary specialist deployed with Naval 
Construction Regiment Detachment 30, Port Hueneme, CA and was 
temporarily assigned to II Marine Expeditionary Force.
  LCpl Carlos Pineda, age 23, died June 24 as a result of wounds 
sustained from enemy small-arms fire while conducting combat operations 
in Fallujah. He was assigned to the 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine 
Division, Camp Lejeune, NC. He was from Los Angeles, CA.
  SSG Jorge L. Pena-Romero, age 29, died July 16 in Baghdad when an 
improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee while his unit 
was conducting a mounted patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, CA. He was from Fallbrook, 
CA.
  Four hundred thirty-four soldiers who were either from California or 
based in California have been killed while serving our country in Iraq. 
I pray for these young Americans and their families.
  I would also like to pay tribute to the five soldiers from or based 
in California who have died while serving our country in Operation 
Enduring Freedom since April 26.
  SFC Allen C. Johnson, age 31, died April 26 in Khanaqin, Afghanistan, 
of injuries sustained when enemy forces using small arms fire attacked 
his patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces 
Group, Fort Bragg, NC. He was from Los Molinos, CA.
  SFC Victor H. Cervantes, age 27, died June 10 in Orgun-e, 
Afghanistan, when he came under small arms fire while on patrol. He was 
assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group 
(Airborne), Fort Bragg, NC. He was from Stockton, CA.
  MAJ Duane W. Dively, age 43, died June 22 in Southwest Asia in the 
crash of a U-2 aircraft. He had completed flying a mission and was 
returning to his base when the crash occurred. He was assigned to the 
1st Reconnaissance Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, CA. He was from 
Rancho California, CA.
  LCDR Erik S. Kristensen, age 33, was killed while conducting combat 
operations when the MH-47 helicopter that he was aboard crashed in the 
Kumar province of Afghanistan on June 28. He was assigned to SEAL Team 
Ten, Virginia Beach, VA. He was from San Diego, CA.
  Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson, age 29, died while 
conducting counter-terrorism operations in Kunar province, Afghanistan. 
Coalition forces located him while conducting a combat search and 
rescue operation July 10. He was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 
One, Pearl Harbor, HI. He was from Cupertino, CA.
  Thirty soldiers who were either from California or based in 
California have been killed while serving our country in Operation 
Enduring Freedom. I pray for these Americans and their families.


                          Christopher Hoskins

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise to speak in honor of U.S. Army SPC 
Christopher Hoskins, of Danielson, CT, who was killed in Iraq on June 
21, 2005. He was 21 years old.
  Specialist Hoskins was killed along with another soldier when his 
unit came under small-arms fire in Ramadi, Iraq.
  Growing up, Christopher was known as quiet, passionate, and full of 
energy. He competed on the wrestling team at Killingly High School and 
was interested in graphic arts. He carried a sketchbook with him in 
Iraq.
  Christopher enlisted in the Army simply because he thought it was the 
right thing to do. He was proud to be a soldier. In Iraq he drove 
Bradley fighting vehicles and humvees.
  He served with valor and humanity. He often said that the Iraqi 
people are just like us. They have many of the same basic needs--food, 
water, clothing, and shelter. And he knew that he had extra and that 
they are wanting. It would have been easier for him, serving in a 
dangerous region, to shut himself off from the populace, but he didn't. 
He often shared his extra non-military supplies with Iraqi civilians.
  Christopher also formed a special bond with those in his unit. Even 
during the short amount of time that he was able to come back home to 
Connecticut, he would swap pictures over the Internet with those in his 
unit who were still in Iraq. He sent them care packages of magazines 
and junk food. He had recently signed up for a second tour.
  Christopher's life was defined by unselfish service to his community 
and his country, and that selflessness continues after his death. He 
asked his mother a few months ago that, if he died, donations be made 
to his former school system in lieu of flowers. He was concerned about 
his younger brother, Sean, who is a special needs student, and the 
students in the art department, who do not have up-to-date software.
  People like Christopher Hoskins make it possible for us to live each 
and every day in freedom, peace, and security. Their sacrifices, in 
lands thousands of miles away, keep us safe here at home. We must never 
forget those sacrifices.
  So today I salute the courage and commitment of Christopher Hoskins, 
a young man who lost his life fulfilling the noblest of callings, 
defending our Nation and the values we hold dear. And I offer my 
heartfelt sympathies to his parents, Richard and Claudia, his siblings, 
Kristin, Erin, and Sean, and to everyone who knew and loved him.


                              Steve Reich

  Mr. President, I rise today to speak in tribute of U.S. Army MAJ 
Steve Reich, of Washington, CT, who lost his life on duty in 
Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. He was 34 years old.
  Major Reich, a member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation 
Regiment known as ``The Nightstalkers,'' was killed along with 15 other 
soldiers in a helicopter crash in the eastern mountains of Afghanistan. 
His service to his country will not be forgotten.
  Steve was respected in his small home town both for his abilities on 
the baseball diamond and for his caring personality.
  He was a star pitcher before entering the military. With the rare 
combination of a blazing fastball and uncanny control, Steve was an 
All-Star at every level. He pitched in two championship games for 
Shepaug Valley High School before moving on to West Point. In his debut 
against the Naval Academy, he pitched a one-hitter.

[[Page 19172]]

  He was a member of the U.S. National baseball team in 1993 and played 
for it in Italy, Nicaragua, and Cuba. He was rightly very proud of 
having carried the American flag for the team in the World University 
Games. He later signed with the Baltimore Orioles farm system and 
pitched two games before being recalled to active duty.
  Major Reich was as accomplished in the military as he was on the 
baseball field. He learned to pilot three models of Army helicopter and 
became a company commander in his regiment. He was serving his fourth 
tour of duty after having already been stationed in Korea, Hungary, 
Bosnia, and Albania.
  He was known in his unit for his willingness to serve by example and 
his composure, something that, no doubt, made him a great leader and 
kept those who served with him safer.
  Despite the fact that he was a hero to those in his hometown, Steve 
was modest. He had won a bronze star for service, but he never told his 
family what heroic acts he performed to deserve the award. He went out 
of his way to show his appreciation for the warm welcomes that he 
received from his community on the rare occasions that he was able to 
return home. On Christmas, he and his sisters would deliver treats to 
say thanks to his friends and neighbors.
  Countless members of his community said that they admired Steve's 
selflessness and that they felt safer knowing that he was watching out 
for them.
  His friends and family took great joy in the fact that he met and 
married Jill Blue during the past year. It warmed the hearts of those 
around him that he found someone to marry because he had always had so 
little time for a personal life. They said that his wedding day in 
March was the happiest day of his life. My heart truly goes out to 
Jill, who has suffered the kind of loss that is difficult for most of 
us to comprehend.
  And I offer my deepest sympathies to his parents, Ray and Sue, and 
his sisters, AnnMarie and Megan, whose loss is too great for words.

                          ____________________