[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26401]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         A SOLDIER'S SACRIFICE

  Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take my 
Special Order at this time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Jindal). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Nebraska?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Forten-
berry) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Speaker, Army Specialist Darren Howe died on 
November 3 from injuries he sustained in Iraq. The Bradley armored 
personnel carrier he was driving struck a roadside bomb outside of 
Baghdad.
  The explosion caused the personnel carrier to catch fire. Specialist 
Howe, who was already severely burned, regained control of the vehicle 
and drove it to safety. He then moved to the rear and helped pull 13 
fellow soldiers to safety.
  Darren was from Beatrice, Nebraska, a town of 12,000 resting 
peacefully in the heart of the Great Plains. In an extraordinary 
tribute, the town mourned together in profound respect for the man who 
fought so bravely and honorably on its behalf.
  Lining both sides of Nebraska Highway 77 and Beatrice's downtown 
district, were hundreds of people holding hands over hearts and 
American flags. School children from the town's Catholic and Lutheran 
schools stood respectfully with handmade posters. Shopkeepers, clerks, 
business owners, the elderly, people with disabilities, seniors from 
the high school, lined Main Street to pay tribute to the man who 
graduated less than 3 years ago.
  Outside the Pamida, the Sack Lumber, and the local hardware store, 
signs and billboards read ``Specialist Darren Howe: A True Hero.'' What 
a fitting tribute to a true leader.
  Darren and his family received his medals, including a Bronze Star 
and Purple Heart. A rifle salute marked the lowering of his casket into 
the ground. The only sounds thereafter were the sobs of loved ones 
forced to say a final goodbye. Even his warrior father gave a last 
sorrowful salute to his martyred son.
  Darren had followed the footsteps of his father into the military. 
Darren was also a steadfast husband and father, providing for his wife, 
Nakia, and their two children, Shaye-Maleigh and Gary-Dean.
  Howe was solid, steady, focused, determined. Nakia wears a medallion 
around her neck from the Third Infantry Division with the inscription 
``Standing on a Rock.''
  Darren served his country and fellow soldiers without regard for his 
own well-being. His heroic sacrifice came as no surprise to those who 
knew and loved him. Darren Howe was a young man who did things the 
right way and lived in accordance to a code of respect, honor and 
responsibility. And as Jodi, his mother, told me, he was also a very 
devoted son.
  Such a man as this deeply impacted the town of Beatrice, Nebraska. 
Such a man as this saved the lives of his fellow soldiers and such a 
man gave himself in service to his country. Specialist Darren Howe is a 
hero, and our country is grateful for his service and ultimate 
sacrifice.

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