[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 14708-14709]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      OHIO FALLEN HEROES MEMORIAL

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, my wife Fran and I recently attended a 
very moving memorial dedication ceremony in Sunbury, OH, to honor and 
to remember the brave Ohio men and women who have died fighting for our 
country in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  These courageous service members--with the many faces of Ohio--came 
from the smallest villages in our state and from the largest cities. 
Some came from our farms. Some were born here in Ohio and in America. 
Others came to this state and this country from many, many miles away. 
Some were 18 or 19 years old. Some were in their 40s.
  Some were Privates and Lance Corporals, while one was a Lieutenant 
Colonel. Some joined the military as a result of the September 11 
attacks, while others planned on a career in the military from their 
youngest days, marching around as small children in their fathers' 
uniforms. Some had seen a lot out of life, while for others--most of 
them, really--their lives had just begun.
  All of them, though, shared something in common. All of them changed 
lives in countless ways, leaving enormous impacts on their families and 
their friends and their loved ones. Their absence leaves a gapping 
whole in the lives of those left behind. And while that makes it very 
hard, we also know that the world is a better place because these brave 
men and women were a part of it. It is a better place because they 
lived.
  We are all so very fortunate to have had them in our lives for the 
all too brief time that we did. And for that, we are eternally 
grateful.
  We, as citizens, will never be able to repay these Ohioans for their 
service. We know that when we lose a service member, there is a tear in 
the fabric that holds us all, as Americans, together, and there really 
is no way to repair that. President Theodore Roosevelt perhaps put it 
best when he said, ``Their blood and their toil, their endurance and 
patriotism, have made us and all who come after us forever their 
debtors.''
  We are, indeed, in their debt.
  I did not personally know any of these men and women we honored in 
Sunbury at that memorial. I did not personally know any of these men 
and women who died in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and men and women who I 
have come to the floor tonight to honor or who I have come to the floor 
on other nights to honor. But I have spoken with many of their 
families. I have talked to many of their friends and comrades, and have 
read a great deal about each one of them. They were all unique--each 
with their own special story to tell.
  One Marine worked as a police officer before going to Iraq. He would 
bring disco balls into his police cruiser to make his partner laugh and 
sometimes brought smiley faces into jail to entertain the inmates.
  Another Marine was in the high school marching band. During one 
football game, he forgot his sousaphone and decided to march with the 
only available instrument in the band room--a banjo.
  One soldier's parents remember their son following them around the 
house at a young age, with his arms out, saying, ``Big hug, big hug.''
  Another young man was a delegate to Buckeye Boys' State--a 
prestigious honor for high school students.
  Several enjoyed riding their dirt bikes and fixing up cars. Some 
played sports. Some were in drama club. Others liked to play games, 
such as Scrabble.
  Many married their high school sweethearts.
  All of them made of our lives just a little bit brighter. They made 
us smile. They filled their loved ones' lives with great joy and 
happiness.
  The recently dedicated memorial in Sunbury, OH, stands as a moving 
tribute and a lasting testament to these men and women and to their 
courage, honor, and sacrifice. They have stood tall in the fight 
against tyranny, aggression, and terrorism.
  As John F. Kennedy once said, ``A Nation reveals itself not only by 
the men [and women] it produces, but also by the men [and women] it 
honors [and] remembers.'' And that--that is exactly what this memorial 
is all about. It is about honoring and remembering each of these truly 
unique, wonderful souls.
  Our Nation is proud of these Ohio men and women. They lived their 
lives well--with great purpose and commitment and love of family and 
country. And for that, we will never forget them.


                  sergeant major jeffrey a. mclochlin

  Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I rise today with a heavy heart and deep 
sense of gratitude to honor the life of a brave soldier from northern 
Indiana. Jeffrey McLochlin, father of three, died on July 5 in small-
arms fire in Orgun-E, Afghanistan. Jeffrey risked everything to fight 
for the values Americans hold close to our hearts, in a land halfway 
around the world.
  A city police officer in Rochester, Jeffrey had been a National 
Guardsman for 19 years. He was training Afghan soldiers in police 
tactics and was on patrol with coalition and Afghan forces when he was 
shot by antigovernment forces. Jeffrey was on his second tour of duty 
and had previously served his country in 2004 on a NATO peacekeeping 
mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A proud husband and father, he left 
behind his wife Nicholle and three children, Darby, 16, Connor, 8, and 
Kennedy, 5. Nicholle told a local paper, ``This man was amazing. There 
will never be another, that's for sure. Eighteen thousand miles away, 
and he called me daily when he could. He did everything he could to be 
a good father and a good husband.'' I stand here today to express my 
gratitude for Jeffrey's sacrifice and that of his family and loved 
ones.
  Jeffrey was killed while serving his country in Operation Enduring 
Freedom. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd 
Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment, Army National Guard, Marion, IN. In 
addition to his wife and children, this brave soldier leaves behind his 
parents, Rich and Cindy McLochlin of Rochester.
  Today, I join Jeffrey's family and friends in mourning his death. 
While we struggle to bear our sorrow over this loss, we can also take 
pride in the example he set, bravely working at home and abroad to make 
the world a safer place. It is his courage and strength of character 
that people will

[[Page 14709]]

remember when they think of Jeffrey, a memory that will burn brightly 
during these continuing days of conflict and grief.
  Jeffrey was known for his dedication to his family and his love of 
country. Today and always, Jeffrey will be remembered by family 
members, friends, and fellow Hoosiers as a true American hero, and we 
honor the sacrifice he made while dutifully serving his country.
  As I search for words to do justice in honoring Jeffrey's sacrifice, 
I am reminded of President Lincoln's remarks as he addressed the 
families of the fallen soldiers in Gettysburg: ``We cannot dedicate, we 
cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living 
and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor 
power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember 
what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.'' This 
statement is just as true today as it was nearly 150 years ago, as I am 
certain that the impact of Jeffrey's actions will live on far longer 
that any record of these words.
  It is my sad duty to enter the name of Jeffrey McLochlin in the 
official record of the U.S. Senate for his service to this country and 
for his profound commitment to freedom, democracy, and peace. When I 
think about this just cause in which we are engaged and the unfortunate 
pain that comes with the loss of our heroes, I hope that families like 
Jeffrey's can find comfort in the words of the prophet Isaiah, who 
said, ``He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe 
away tears from off all faces.''
  May God grant strength and peace to those who mourn, and may God be 
with all of you, as I know He is with Jeffrey.


                   Army Staff Sergeant Paul S. Pabla

  Mr. President, I also rise today with a heavy heart and deep sense of 
gratitude to honor the life of a brave young man from Fort Wayne. Paul 
S. Pabla, 23 years old, was killed on July 3 by sniper fire in Mosul, 
in northern Iraq. Volunteering for deployment to Iraq, Paul risked 
everything to fight for the values Americans hold close to our hearts, 
in a land halfway around the world.
  Pabla enlisted in the National Guard while still a student at 
Huntington North High School in Huntington, where he graduated in 2000. 
Service to others came naturally to Paul, who in high school 
participated in church youth mission work in Honduras. In Mosul, he 
especially enjoyed working with Iraqi children, calling them the 
``future of Iraq.'' Pabla was remembered by his senior-year English 
teacher, who told a local news outlet, ``I think (enlisting) was 
something he felt really strongly about. Without question, he knew what 
he was getting into. He was really a young man with a sense of 
purpose.'' Paul was deployed to Iraq in January of 2006 on his first 
tour of duty there and had attained the rank of staff sergeant.
  Paul was killed while serving his country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. 
He was assigned to B Battery, 3rd Battalion, 139th Field Artillery 
Regiment, 38th Infantry Division, Army National Guard, Kempton, IN. 
This brave soldier leaves behind his mother, Lisa Carroll; his father, 
Sarvjit Pabla; stepmother, Leticia Pabla; a brother, Neil Pabla; half 
brother, Nicholas Pabla; as well as numerous other relatives.
  Today, I join Paul's family and friends in mourning his death. While 
we struggle to bear our sorrow over this loss, we can also take pride 
in the example he set, bravely fighting to make the world a safer 
place. It is his courage and strength of character that people will 
remember when they think of Paul, a memory that will burn brightly 
during these continuing days of conflict and grief.
  Paul was known for his dedication to his family and his love of 
country. Today and always, Paul will be remembered by family members, 
friends, and fellow Hoosiers as a true American hero, and we honor the 
sacrifice he made while dutifully serving his country.
  As I search for words to do justice in honoring Paul's sacrifice, I 
am reminded of President Lincoln's remarks as he addressed the families 
of the fallen soldiers in Gettysburg: ``We cannot dedicate, we cannot 
consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and 
dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power 
to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we 
say here, but it can never forget what they did here.'' This statement 
is just as true today as it was nearly 150 years ago, as I am certain 
that the impact of Paul's actions will live on far longer that any 
record of these words.
  It is my sad duty to enter the name of Paul S. Pabla in the official 
record of the U.S. Senate for his service to this country and for his 
profound commitment to freedom, democracy and peace. When I think about 
this just cause in which we are engaged and the unfortunate pain that 
comes with the loss of our heroes, I hope that families like Paul's can 
find comfort in the words of the prophet Isaiah, who said, ``He will 
swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from 
off all faces.''
  May God grant strength and peace to those who mourn, and may God be 
with all of you, as I know He is with Paul.

                          ____________________