[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 22600]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           MONTANA'S PATRIOTS

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, this week, I learned of another young 
person from Montana who had been killed in Iraq. PFC Andrew Bedard was 
only 19 and died Monday when the Humvee he was driving hit a roadside 
bomb.
  Andrew Bedard was from Missoula and a 2004 graduate of Hellgate High 
School. He joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduation and had 
only finished basic training earlier this year in San Diego. He had 
been in Iraq for close to only one month, when his life ended because 
of another improvised explosive device, or ``IED'' while conducting 
combat operations against enemy forces in the Al Anbar province. The 
military had recently launched a new offensive against insurgents in 
western Iraq.
  Those who knew him best describe Andrew as a personable, positive guy 
who was friends with most people he ran into and cared a great deal 
about his family and friends. I actually met Andrew a few years ago 
when he and I were involved in a fender bender in Missoula. He was 
courteous and respectful, and I can say that he was a fine young man.
  Like me, Andrew was in the U.S. Marine Corps. If they can find solace 
in anything, his loved ones must know that his country is proud of his 
honorable service in upholding the freedoms and ideals which make this 
country great.
  My heart and prayers go out to the Bedard family, as well as the 
loved ones of all others lost in this War on Terror. Private First 
Class Bedard, unfortunately, was the 13th man with Montana ties to die 
in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001. Other Montanans who have been killed 
in combat in Operation Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom are:
  SPC Travis Arndt of Great Falls was the 12th man with Montana ties to 
lose his life in Iraq or Afghanistan.
  Marine LCpl Nicholas Bloem of Bozeman was killed in Iraq on Aug. 3, 
the day after his 20th birthday, when a roadside bomb was exploded 
under his amphibious assault vehicle. He was one of 14 Marines killed 
from the Ohio-based 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Division.
  Marine Cpl Raleigh Smith, 21, of Troy was killed two days before 
Christmas 2004 by enemy fire in Fallujah, Iraq.
  Marine LCpl Nathan R. Wood, 19, a Great Falls native who has moved to 
Kirkland, WA. He was killed Nov. 19, 2004, as a result of enemy action 
in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
  Army SSG Aaron N. Holleyman, 26, of Glasgow was killed Aug. 30, 2004, 
in Khutayiah, Iraq, when his military vehicle hit an improvised 
explosive device.
  Marine LCpl Kane M. Funke, 20, who attended high school in Kalispell 
before moving to Vancouver, WA. He was killed Aug. 13, 2004, as a 
result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
  Marine Cpl Dean P. Pratt, 22, of Stevensville, who died Aug. 2, 2004, 
also as a result of enemy action in Al Anbar Province.
  Army PFC Owen D. Witt, 20, of Sand Springs was killed May 24, 2004, 
in Ad Dawr, Iraq, when his armored high-mobility-multipurpose-wheeled 
vehicle rolled over.
  Army Reserve 1 LT Edward M. Saltz, 27, of Bigfork was killed Dec. 22, 
2003, in Baghdad when the convoy in which he was riding was hit by an 
improvised explosive device.
  Army Ranger PFC Kristofer T. Stonesifer, 28, of Missoula was killed 
Oct. 21, 2001, in a Blackhawk helicopter crash in Pakistan as a part of 
Operation Enduring Freedom.
  Army 1 LT Josh Hyland, a Missoula soldier who enlisted in ROTC at the 
University of Montana on Sept. 12, 2001, was one of four Americans 
killed in Afghanistan when a bomb detonated underneath a wooden bridge 
they were passing over.
  This old Marine was lucky to come home from service in Korea. These 
brave souls for whatever reason were not. I thank them for what they 
did to protect my family and others across this country and around the 
world. They did not die in vain and will not be forgotten. We, as a 
nation, mourn the loss of every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine.

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