[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3738-3739]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                IN MEMORY OF 1LT ALMAR LaRON FITZGERALD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 15, 2006

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on March 4, 2006, I 
attended the funeral of Almar LaRon Fitzgerald, an American soldier 
from Lexington, South Carolina, who gave his life while serving his 
country in Iraq. This hero of Lexington County who graduated from The 
Citadel was lovingly eulogized at the Lexington Baptist Church by 
Pastor Ken Jumper of The Harvest Church of Lexington. Pastor Jumper, 
with a family of military service, provided an inspiring lesson of 
hope.

  The Funeral Service of LT Almar LaRon Fitzgerald Lexington Baptist 
                                Church 

       And Jesus said to her, ``I am the resurrection and the 
     life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; 
     and whoever lives

[[Page 3739]]

     and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?''
       As we were singing this last song, I was reminded of this 
     scripture where we are given the promise of eternal life. And 
     yes, we believe this.
       I would like to thank the family for allowing me the 
     opportunity to share in these moments with them, and my 
     thoughts and prayers are certainly with you.
       If I were to say today how I really felt inside, I would 
     have to say, ``It just ain't right''. But my part today is to 
     bring, and I have been asked to bring, ``words of comfort''.
       With that said, we must understand today that our comfort 
     will not be found in the context of human understanding. As a 
     pastor, I am often called upon to explain the unexplainable, 
     but the unexplainable remains unexplained even after I have 
     said my piece. There are no real explanations as to why a 
     quality young man should leave life so early in the day.
       However, our comfort today will be found in the context of 
     our faith. You see that is why we came to the church, sang 
     some hymns, called a preacher and read some scripture. We 
     understand that in moments like these we call upon our 
     faith--a faith that transcends our human understanding and 
     grief.
       We look to the God unseen and an eternity yet unrealized to 
     anchor our hope. The faith I speak of today is more than just 
     a general faith in God. It is a specific faith that finds its 
     foundation in the person of Jesus Christ.
       As I pondered my thoughts for today, I was reminded of the 
     first family created by God. Adam and Eve, the first family, 
     lost a son. Their son was also lost through an act of 
     seemingly meaningless violence. And at that time, they had to 
     deal with the emotions you and I are dealing with today--the 
     questions of why, feelings of loss and grief, and wondering 
     where do we go from here. They had to make some sense and 
     reconcile these thoughts of pain, loss and grief with God and 
     eternal things.
       Today as we think of Almar LaRon Fitzgerald and the life he 
     lived--a life that served, a life that was savored and well 
     lived, and ultimately a life that was sacrificed--I would 
     like for us to turn our attention to ``another Son'' that was 
     sacrificed.
       Adam and Eve had a son that was lost, and God gave them 
     another son. They named him Seth, and it was in and through 
     this son they were to find hope. It was through ``another 
     son,'' Seth, that Jesus Christ was to be born. If you follow 
     the genealogy of Christ backwards you will find this to be 
     true. And today, it is through this Son, God's Son Jesus 
     Christ, that you and I will find our comfort and consolation 
     from today.
       I wish I could explain the unexplainable today. Let me tell 
     you what I do know. Let me tell you what I do know to be 
     True, Reliable and Eternal. I know that God is Love. He is, 
     He has been and He always will be. God created a world of 
     peace and harmony with no violence, sickness or pain.
       Unfortunately, mankind fell and chose to live their lives 
     their own way. Therefore, we live in a fallen world today--
     one that has sickness, pain and death. We must be careful 
     that we do not allow our pain and hurt to turn to bitterness 
     against others or against the God who does love us and care 
     for us.
       For you see, it was right in the middle of this fallen 
     world that God dropped a cross, planted it in the ground and 
     hung His Only Son upon it. A cross that stands between heaven 
     and earth. A cross that helps us reconcile life and eternity. 
     A cross that helps us bear up under the burden of pain and 
     grief. A cross where Jesus died, sacrificially giving His 
     life for another. I remember as well, as I think of Almar' s 
     sacrifice, there is no greater love than this, that a man 
     would lay down his life for another. So you and I can look to 
     this cross and find the comfort and hope we need in order to 
     navigate this life.
       We find in this cross two arenas of hope. First of all, the 
     hope of eternal life. For all those who have accepted Christ 
     and believe in Him, there is the promise of life after death. 
     You see, we who believe will see Almar again. There is life 
     beyond this life. This is the hope and comfort we can have 
     today.
       Now we have the promise of eternal life, but we also have 
     the promise of a Comforter. Jesus promised that He would be 
     with us. He would comfort us. He would never leave us or 
     forsake us. So during the days and weeks ahead and during the 
     dark nights when no one is there, He will be there. He will 
     be with me and comfort me in my darkness and most difficult 
     moment! Can I get a witness in the place today?
       This is the hope we have: Jesus and His presence will be 
     with me and strengthen me, day by day until `that day'. So we 
     look to the cross and the Son. This is where we find our hope 
     and peace.
       We also find the grace to forgive at the cross. So we must 
     today forgive those who have hurt us.
       The Bible tells us that the power of the cross removes the 
     sting of death. Death has no hold on us. As death went to 
     catch Almar in its grip, poof, he was gone. Death looked 
     around and could not find him. Jesus said those who believe 
     in me will never taste, experience, death.
       And as we forgive, we find peace. Interestingly, Almar gave 
     his life for peace. So we must forgive others, even as Jesus 
     hung on the cross and said, ``Father forgive them, they don't 
     understand.'' May we become peacemakers today.
       Finally out of this comfort, may we find courage. The 
     courage to get up and go on with our lives, learning to live 
     life to its fullest. The courage to forgive others and be 
     peacemakers. And the courage to accept Jesus Christ and forge 
     a path through life that others can recognize and follow.
       Now may the peace and grace of Jesus Christ be with us all. 
     Amen and Amen!

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