[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6703-6704]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER DAVID AYALA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2005

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to David Ayala 
who gave his life in service to our country in Ghanzi, Afghanistan.
  David, a graduate of New Rochelle High School, was a dedicated son, 
friend, husband and citizen. He knew before he graduated high school 
that he wanted to serve his country in the U.S. Army. As a young boy, 
David dreamt of one day flying a helicopter for the Army. Just three 
months after his high school graduation in 1998, David enlisted to 
pursue his dream, studying to become a helicopter mechanic.
  After receiving 18 months of training in Fort Rucker, Alabama, David 
emerged as a Warrant Officer and began his deployment in Germany. David 
would later be joined in Germany by his loving wife Athena, who was 
also serving her country as a nurse in a military hospital. As Chief 
Warrant Officer, David was assigned to F Company, 5th Battalion, 159th 
Aviation Regiment, Giebelstady, Germany.

[[Page 6704]]

  In March of 2005, David and his unit were deployed to the Middle East 
under control of Army Central Command as part of Operation Enduring 
Freedom. On April 6th of this year, David died when the CH-47 Chinook 
helicopter he was aboard crashed.
  David was a true patriot who never gave up his love for the sky and 
who paid the ultimate price for loyalty to his country. All Americans 
are truly fortunate to have had a person of David's caliber working to 
defend our Nation and keep it safe, strong, and secure.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Chief Warrant 
Officer David Ayala along with all of our Nation's other fallen heroes.

                          ____________________