[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20704-20705]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


             chief warrant officer two stephen e. shephard

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, today I would like to stand in honor of a 
great Oklahoman. CWO2 Stephen Shephard gave his life in the battle for 
freedom in Iraq. Steven is a true American hero who joined the war 
against terrorism after he witnessed the September 11 attacks on our 
own country. He was truly an admirable soldier and a great man.
  Chief Warrant Officer Shephard was born in Stillwater, OK, in 1974. 
His family then moved to Purcell, OK, where Stephen attended Purcell 
schools until he graduated in 1993. Stephen played baseball and the 
saxophone in high school. His baseball coach remembers him as 
``hardworking and dedicated.'' His friends remember him as having a 
great sense of humor. In high school, Stephen was voted ``most witty.''
  Ever since he was a child, Chief Warrant Officer Two Shephard had a 
love for aviation. He got his pilot's license before he even graduated 
from high school. His sister says that ``being a pilot was his lifelong 
dream.'' After graduating from high school, Stephen earned a bachelor's 
degree in aviation from Oklahoma State University and then served as a 
flight instructor at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and at 
Kansas State University. Stephen was a wonderful teacher with patience 
and a sense of humor in the classroom. His students loved him and 
looked up to him.
  In 1998, Stephen married Meleah, who is also from Purcell. Like many 
other Americans, Stephen felt a call to duty following the September 11 
attacks, and he joined the Army in 2002 in response to that call. 
Stephen and Meleah were expecting their first child in September of 
this year.
  Stephen was assigned to B Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Aviation 
Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division out of Fort Bragg, NC. He was 
killed on June 27, 2005, in Tija, Iraq, when enemy forces shot down the 
Apache helicopter he was flying. Stephen died doing what he loved--
flying--and fighting for our freedom.
  For this soldier from Purcell, OK, there is no deeper honor than the 
memory he leaves behind. He gave of himself in life as well as in 
death, and stands out as an example to all of us. Today I honor a true 
hero, CWO2 Stephen Shephard.


                  marine sergeant james r. graham, iii

  Mr. President, it is a great but solemn honor to rise today in memory 
of a courageous young man who recently gave his life in defense of his 
Nation and his fellow soldiers, Marine Sgt James R. Graham, III.
  Sergeant Graham, 25, leaves behind a wife and two small children. He 
was known for his kindness and willingness to help others, often 
playing soccer with neighborhood children.
  Sergeant Graham was assigned to 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine 
Division, Marine Forces Reserve, an antitank unit based in Broken 
Arrow, OK. He was deployed to Iraq with the 2nd Marine Division, II 
Marine Expeditionary Force to provide support in the ongoing 
reconstruction and security efforts. While serving there he was awarded 
the Good Conduct Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the 
Selective Marine Corps Reserve medal. On Monday, August 1, he was 
killed as a result of a suicide bombing while conducting combat 
operations near Hit, a city about 85 miles northwest of Baghdad.
  The soldiers, friends, and family who are left behind remember a true 
example of professionalism and patriotism. Sergeant Graham died a true 
hero, worthy of the respect and gratitude of every American. None among 
us can dispute the tragedy of plans unrealized and ambitions 
unfulfilled, and our thoughts and prayers are with Sergeant Graham's 
wife and family. Though we are all grieved by the loss of this soldier, 
we will never cease to be proud of him. His sacrifice echoes across the 
world and in our hearts. He was a true Oklahoman, and a true American--
Sgt James Graham, III.

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