[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20691]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO STAFF SERGEANT KEVIN L. ZEIGLER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2006

  Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise in tribute to Staff Sergeant 
Kevin L. Zeigler of Braymer, Missouri. Sgt. Zeigler made the ultimate 
sacrifice for his country on August 12, 2006. As a tribute to his 
courage, valor, and patriotism, I would like to read a very moving poem 
that Sgt. Zeigler's uncle, G. Lamar Wilkie, Chief Petty Officer, United 
States Navy (Retired), wrote for his fallen nephew.

                            Final Trip Home

     Staff Sergeant Kevin Zeigler
     Friend of Liberty
     Hero of an oppressed people Defender of faith in humanity
     Who helped liberate a nation

     He comes back a hero
     Having given his life for
     The noblest cause of all
     Not of sickness or meek old age
     But in defense of freedom

     No more torture chambers
     Or professional rape rooms
     No poisoned villagers
     Filling mass graves
     At the hands of their own dictator

     Brutally taken from us
     By vicious cowards
     Who attack from shadows and
     Dare not show their faces
     They live to die for death's sake

     But the barbarians
     Though they claim victory
     With fear and destruction
     Suffer terrible loss within
     A defeat of the heart

     Let the bells of liberty
     Toll the passing of a champion
     His race is won, his battle over
     Let eternal love and gratitude guide
     His final trip home.

       Dedicated to my nephew, Army Staff Sergeant Kevin L. 
     Zeigler, of the 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat 
     Team of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood. He was killed 
     August 12, 2006 when an improvised explosive device detonated 
     near their dismounted patrol during combat operations near 
     Baghdad.
                                                  G. Lamar Wilkie,
                                   Chief Petty Officer, USN (Ret).

  Mr. Speaker, a grateful Nation will never forget the heroism, 
patriotism, and devotion of Sgt. Zeigler. He sacrificed his life in the 
line of duty to protect the United States of America, and we as a 
nation will be eternally indebted to him for his service. I am truly 
humbled to have had the privilege to represent Staff Sergeant Kevin L. 
Zeigler--a genuine American hero--in the United States Congress.

                          ____________________