[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4668-4669]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                        sergeant ryan montgomery

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to pause for a 
moment today to commemorate the life and sacrifice of SGT Ryan Jay 
Montgomery.
  Sergeant Montgomery of Greensburg, KY, served with the 623rd Field 
Artillery in the Kentucky Army National Guard. On July 3, 2005, he gave 
his life in defense of our country near Baghdad, Iraq. He had served 
his Nation as a citizen-soldier for almost 5 years. He was 22 years 
old.
  On that day in July, Sergeant Montgomery and two of his fellow 
Kentucky National Guard soldiers were returning from escorting a supply 
convoy when, just outside of Baghdad, a roadside bomb struck his 
humvee. The other two soldiers were injured; sadly, Sergeant Montgomery 
was killed.
  For his valiant service, Sergeant Montgomery was awarded the Bronze 
Star Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Combat Action Badge. He had 
previously received both the Army Commendation Medal and the Armed 
Forces Reserve Medal. And he was awarded the Kentucky Distinguished 
Service Medal, for demonstrating all the qualities of a great soldier, 
remaining combat-focused while decisively engaged with the enemy, 
performing his duties and accomplishing his mission.
  While a student at Green County High School, Sergeant Montgomery 
started a Junior ROTC program there, for kids interested in a military 
career. The discipline and purpose of Army life appealed to him, so 
young Ryan decided he could better himself through joining the Guard. 
Enlisting before he finished high school, he hoped to use money from 
the Guard to help him pay for his education necessary to realize his 
goal of becoming an architect.
  Ryan's mother, Patricia Montgomery, said that Ryan's service in the 
Kentucky National Guard could ``give him a better start in life.'' His 
twin brother, Bryan, who never strayed far from his brother's side, was 
so impressed by the opportunities the military gave his brother that 
he, too, decided to serve, and ended up a member of Bravo Battery, 
First Battalion, in the 623rd Field Artillery--the same unit as his 
brother Ryan.
  Before he was deployed to Iraq, Ryan worked two jobs in addition to 
his work with the Guard. He was training with the Green County Fire and 
Rescue Team, to become a volunteer firefighter. He also helped out with 
the junior ROTC program at Green County High that he had formed, 
teaching classes and encouraging the students who were following his 
example to serve their country.
  Sergeant Montgomery was deployed to Iraq in January 2005. Ryan and 
his unit were charged with escorting the many supply convoys which 
traveled in and out of Baghdad, often a hazardous assignment, and also 
searching for the enemy or their deadly roadside bombs. Sergeant 
Montgomery successfully took part in 130 missions. As his father, 
Raymond Montgomery said, ``He really felt like he was doing good over 
there. He absolutely loved it.'' Before deploying to Iraq, Ryan's unit 
also served in Kuwait.
  During his downtime in Iraq, Ryan could most often be found working 
on his humvee with his twin brother Bryan, who served as a mechanic for 
the 623rd. He would also write or e-mail the folks back home, or he 
would talk or watch a movie with his brother Bryan. The two didn't get 
a lot of free time together in Iraq, but they usually saw each other 
every day.
  Born in Greensburg, where he lived his whole life and which is the 
county seat of Green County, Ryan and Bryan were known as twin cut-ups, 
according to their mom, Patricia. She recalls that the two identical 
brothers would often switch clothes to confuse family friends and 
babysitters.
  Patricia remembers that Ryan taught Bryan how to ride a bike when the 
two were little. As a child, Ryan loved family dinners. And he loved to 
make people laugh. ``If you see someone without a smile, give them 
yours''--that was Ryan's motto, according to his mother. Bryan 
recalled, ``My brother and I always lived like a laugh could solve 
anything.''
  Both Ryan and Bryan played the great American pastime--Little 
League--as kids. What they may have lacked in athleticism, they made up 
for in enthusiasm. ``They were average athletes,'' says John Durham, 
the boys' Little League coach. ``But I don't think there was another 
member of the team that had as much fun out there playing than they 
did.''
  In high school, Ryan played in the marching band in addition to his 
work with Junior ROTC. He played the trumpet and Bryan played the tuba 
and the trombone. And he liked to go hunting with his dad.

[[Page 4669]]

  Ryan was also interested in truck-pulling. As a kid, Ryan's dad took 
him and his brother to truck pulls at local fairs. It was something 
that naturally appealed to both boys, and when he was old enough, Ryan 
bought a Chevy S-10 that all three men worked to modify together.
  After Ryan's death, Bryan continued his brother's project, driving 
the truck they had collaborated on to victory in a truck pull that was 
dedicated to Ryan in Temple Hill, KY. It was the same competition that 
Ryan had won in 2004 with the same truck. After winning, Bryan said, 
``It felt great to follow in Ryan's success like that.''
  Ryan left behind a loving family who will forever treasure his 
memory. We thank his father, Raymond Montgomery, his mother, Patricia 
Montgomery, and his brother, Bryan Montgomery, for sharing their 
stories of Ryan with us. We are also thinking of Ryan's sister, Ashley 
Montgomery, and his stepmother, Sharon Montgomery, today.
  I want to leave my colleagues with the words of SGT Ryan Montgomery 
himself. These words were found on his computer in Iraq. He wrote:

       This place is a roller coaster ride; you never know what is 
     going [to] happen next. It's scary when you think about it. 
     But I pray every night for every soldier who has given their 
     freedom to free these people.

  Ryan continued:

       I pray for my family and every blessing God [has] put in my 
     life. [It's] hard to live day to day, not knowing what the 
     next day holds. I just pray and carry on with the mission. I 
     didn't think this place was going [to affect] me like it has. 
     I'm a different person, but for the good.

  Words cannot describe the overflowing of gratitude, and pride, and 
honor one feels after reading this young man's words. Nor can they 
describe the depths of sorrow we feel at his loss. Sergeant 
Montgomery's courage was so strong that, even amidst the ``roller 
coaster'' of battle, he was able to hold on to his love of God, his 
family, and his mission to spread freedom.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today in saying that America can never 
repay the debt we owe SGT Ryan Montgomery or the Montgomery family. We 
are truly blessed to live in a country where so many brave men and 
women, like Ryan, volunteer to face hardship out of the love of 
freedom, and love for the rest of us.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________