[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23510-23511]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                            Steven A. Valdez

  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I honor the life of a young Arkansan 
who, in the name of freedom, paid the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of 
the Nation he loved. Steven A. Valdez was a brave soldier who died a 
hero in a foreign land, but he was also a caring young man who deeply 
loved his family and friends and they were never far from his mind.
  Those who knew Lance Corporal Valdez from his childhood in McRea, a 
small north-central Arkansas town, remember him as competitive, 
energetic and fun loving. He graduated from Beebe High School in 2004 
and, soon after, followed the footsteps of his older brother Glenn 
Skaggs, and his grandfather Billy Skaggs, into the United States Marine 
Corps.
  In November of 2004, LCpl Valdez reported to the Marine Corps Base at 
Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Serving with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine 
Regiment, he was deployed to Afghanistan in June as a machine gun 
operator with Weapons Platoon Company E. Within the year, his family 
received a letter from the

[[Page 23511]]

Marines, which cited Valdez's promotion to Lance Corporal and praised 
him for going above and beyond what was asked or expected of him. While 
serving in Afghanistan, LCpl Valdez was stationed at Camp Blessing. The 
camp is located in eastern Afghanistan, in the foothills of the Hindu 
Kush mountains near the Pakistani border, and serves as a forward 
operating base for intelligence and military operations aimed to train 
Afghan security forces and track down al-Qaeda terrorists. He served 
with a platoon of Marines guarding the camp.
  While serving in Afghanistan, LCpl Valdez and his grandfather, Billy, 
had an agreement; Billy would send care packages with his grandson's 
favorite snacks and items from home, but he would also include phone 
cards with the expectation that the young marine would call his 
grandfather once a week. For LCpl Valdez, it was a much needed respite 
from the stresses of war that allowed him to feel a little closer to 
home; for Billy, it was reassuring to hear his grandson's voice and to 
know that he was safe and healthy.
  On September 26, insurgents attacked Camp Blessing with mortar, 
rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. LCpl Valdez was struck 
by shrapnel from a mortar while running to his machine gun post. The 
brave 20-year-old died shortly after.
  In remembering their loved one, LCpl Valdez's proud grandfather 
speaks of him as a ``true hero.'' When his brother, Sergeant Glenn 
Skaggs, returns to Iraq, he will be concerned about his own well-being, 
but only in the sense that he doesn't want to put his family through 
another grieving process. Despite these concerns, in a manner typical 
of this courageous and selfless family, he proudly states ``My brother 
was over there for something he believed in, and I want to help finish 
it.''
  Although Steven Valdez may no longer be with us, his legacy and his 
spirit will forever live on in our hearts. On behalf of a grateful 
Nation, my thoughts and prayers go out his family, friends, and all who 
knew and loved him.

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