[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17609-17610]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                    Specialist Stephen P. Downing II

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of a 
father,

[[Page 17610]]

son, uncle, and brother from the Commonwealth of Kentucky who was lost 
in the line of duty as a member of America's Armed Forces. I ask the 
Senate to pause today in memory of SPC Stephen P. Downing II of 
Burkesville, KY. He was 30 years old.
  On October 28, 2004, Specialist Downing and his squad were on patrol 
securing one of the busiest intersections in Ramadi, Iraq. As a key 
route for vital U.S. convoys, this crossroads had become a focal point 
of terrorist attacks. The threat to vulnerable U.S. vehicles meant 
soldiers like Stephen Downing were needed to stand guard against would-
be bombers.
  As his squad waited to be relieved at noon, Stephen, whose duty was 
simply to drive the armored humvee, volunteered to give his gunner a 
break from the intense heat. He climbed out of the relative safety of 
the driver's seat to man the .50 caliber machinegun mounted on top of 
the roof. Then, just a few minutes before his squad was to be replaced, 
he was fatally wounded by a lone sniper's bullet.
  For his actions as a soldier, Specialist Downing earned numerous 
medals and awards, including the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple 
Heart.
  Stephen Downing was a man of action, with a keen sense of right and 
wrong. He was more comfortable working on an engine or being outdoors 
than sitting inside. He was quick-witted, with a knack for pulling 
practical jokes. This quality endeared him to his family, friends, and 
fellow soldiers.
  Stephen loved his family. As SPC Robert Gonzales, who served with 
Stephen Downing in both Korea and Iraq, recalls--using Stephen's 
nickname with the unit--

       Stevey D. was very proud of his kids. He always talked 
     about how proud they made him. . . . I can't remember how 
     many times he showed me a picture of his son and his daughter 
     swimming in a pool, wearing floaties. He kept it with him all 
     the time.

  Stephen's fatherly tenderness extended beyond his daughter, Taylor, 
and his son, Stephen, to include his niece, Chelsea. As Stephen's 
sister, Danica, says:

       Stephen was like a father to my daughter . . . and Chelsea 
     always looked up to Stephen.

  When Stephen himself was a child, his appetite for adventure could 
not be satisfied. His sister recalls that her brother loved to go 
diving, swimming, skiing--if it was to be done outside, Stephen was 
eager to pursue the challenge.
  When he was not taking things apart, he was putting them back 
together. Stephen loved modifying his BMX bikes, even if his 
modifications did not always turn out to be an improvement.
  According to his stepfather, Jim Maynard, Stephen seemed blessed with 
a constant smile on his face.
  And nothing could make Stephen smile more than pulling a prank on his 
sister. As the older sibling by almost 2 years, Danica was a constant 
presence for her brother growing up, helping him if older bullies tried 
to pick on him. But this didn't stop Stephen from having a good-natured 
laugh at her expense.
  One morning, Stephen rushed out to catch the schoolbus and told the 
driver to go ahead because his sister was not going to school that day. 
About 3 miles down the road, the bus driver and everyone else on the 
bus learned the truth when Stephen's mother flagged down the schoolbus 
and Danica jumped on.
  Another time, Danica was babysitting for a neighbor, and she and a 
girlfriend decided to take the baby for an evening stroll. Along their 
path they passed an abandoned old farm house, an infamously spooky 
local attraction.
  As you might have guessed, Mr. President, what better way to scare 
your sister than to hide in the weeds by a house such as this and at 
the right time, jump out yelling. As Danica recounts, ``Stephen scared 
[us] half to death . . . we both were so scared, we just took off 
screaming. It took us a minute to realize neither of us had brought the 
stroller.''
  Stephen enlisted in the Army in 1992. He joined the National Guard in 
1994, and left the service in 2000. In 2002, however, Stephen felt 
compelled to reenlist in the Army. He was sent to Korea, where he was 
stationed with the Second Infantry Division.
  After a year-long stint, his unit was ordered to prepare for 
deployment to Iraq. Given the choice between staying with the unit or 
being transferred to Fort Carson, CO, Stephen elected to go to war with 
the men he had come to know and depend on.
  Shortly before Stephen deployed to Iraq with the 2nd I.D., he 
returned home for 2 weeks to be with his family. During that time, his 
mother, Stella Maynard, fixed all of Stephen's favorite foods, 
including her famous cherry delight cake. Each family member let 
Stephen know how proud they were of him, while also quietly airing 
their greatest fears.
  Stephen told his daughter, who pleaded with him not to go, that he 
was needed in Iraq. Putting her on his knee, Stephen told her that he 
was going to Iraq to help the children there--to keep them safe, so 
that they could have a chance at a better life.
  Danica also pulled her brother aside and told him to be careful. ``I 
told him to keep his head down,'' she says. ``Not to be a hero, not to 
do more than what he had to do to get by.'' Stephen understood his 
sister's motivations, but as his actions would demonstrate, and as his 
fellow soldiers would later recall, Stephen did anything but the bare 
minimum.
  SP Phillip Pilcher, who was on patrol with Stephen that fateful day, 
recalls ``Stephen was one of the hardest working guys over there; he 
would work two to three hours later than everyone else just to make 
sure that everything was where it needed to be.''
  Specialist Gonzales, who credits Stephen with being instrumental in 
making him a better soldier, strikes a similar chord. ``Stephen was the 
heart and soul of our squad and our regiment,'' he says. ``Even though 
he didn't have the stripes on his arm, he was still a great leader.''
  Many of the friends Stephen made over his 30 years came to say 
goodbye when he was laid to rest. BG Dan Bolger, who helped command the 
Second Infantry Division in Korea and asked to be the survivor-
assistance officer for Stephen's family, was astounded by what he saw 
that day: For a 22-mile stretch along the path of the funeral 
procession, people, some holding signs, others flags, stood in silent 
tribute to their fallen hero.
  A few months before his death, Stephen wrote a letter to his mother, 
to be sent in the event he did not return. He wrote, ``Different people 
will remember me for different reasons, but I would hope that everyone 
would think that I was over here for them.''
  The devotion to honor and sacrifice expressed in those words tells us 
how Specialist Downing was able to touch so many people, and why so 
many people paid their final respects to his memory. As his mother 
recalls, ``Stephen didn't have friends--he had family.''
  I thank Stephen's mother, Stella Maynard, and his niece, Chelsea 
Downing, who have traveled to our Nation's capital to--meet with me 
today, for sharing Stephen's story. His children, Taylor and Stephen, 
his sister, Danica, his step-father, Jim Maynard, and other beloved 
family members are in our thoughts today as well.
  We can never repay Specialist Downing's family for their loss. But we 
can, and we must, honor the sacrifice of their beloved father, son, 
uncle and brother, and recognize that without his courage and the 
courage of the men and women of our Armed Forces, America could not 
lead the world in the defense of freedom.
  Mr. President, Stephen's mother, Stella, put it just right, and we 
are all blessed to have had SP Stephen Downing in our family.

                          ____________________