[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11310-11311]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I just got word that the 2,500th soldier 
was killed in Iraq. It is a milestone, obviously, that we all mourn 
deeply in this country. And that is what I rise to talk about, as a few 
of those who have died in the line of duty were from my State.
  Mr. President, May was an especially difficult month for our home 
State of Nevada. We mourn the loss of four soldiers and marines who 
were killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. One soldier was killed 
during training. And

[[Page 11311]]

just last week, another soldier from Winnemucca, NV, was killed. While 
there is incomparable grief following these deaths, there is also 
strength and pride that never ceases to amaze me.
  I had the opportunity to attend two of the recent funerals: the 
funeral of 1SG Carlos Saenz at Arlington National Cemetery and the 
funeral of SGT John Griffith at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial 
Cemetery in Boulder City. Each funeral I have attended and each family 
who grieves finds a very special place in my heart, and they will 
always stay with me.
  1SG Sergeant Carlos Saenz was born in Mexico. He became a naturalized 
citizen and considered himself extremely lucky and proud to have been 
an American, as we all should. And for more than 25 years, he dedicated 
himself to serving this country. His wife Nanette is a woman of great 
strength who understood her husband's determination and commitment to 
our country. They actually met during the first Persian Gulf war. She 
is proud of him, and we are all blessed that he came to the United 
States and was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his new 
Nation.
  SGT John Griffith lived in Las Vegas most of his life. He told his 
wife Christa that he was fighting this war so their son would not have 
to. I will never forget the image of his two young daughters, just as 
the funeral had ended and they were taking the coffin out. As they were 
putting it into the hearse, I heard his two young daughters crying, and 
I heard one of them say: Don't let them take daddy.
  That is the real pain of war coming home to a family, and we should 
all remember the sacrifices that not only the men and women in uniform 
who have died have made but also the sacrifices and the pain their 
families go through.
  I also had the opportunity to speak with Victoria Legaspi, the mother 
of SSG Emmanuel Legaspi. Manny was born in the Philippines and signed 
up in the Army at the age of 32, after living in the United States for 
only 1 year. He wanted to give back to this country, and he wanted to 
show his appreciation. Manny should make all of us a little more proud 
to be Americans.
  We live in the greatest country in the world--where brave Americans 
such as Carlos, John, and Manny, and so many others believe so deeply 
in our freedom that they are willing to sacrifice their lives so that 
we can all live safe and free. These men follow a distinguished line of 
courageous men and women who have paid that ultimate price for this 
Nation.
  They are not the only ones who have made this sacrifice. As I 
mentioned before, the families, and one woman in particular, Helena 
Lukac, have touched my heart. Helena Lukac moved to the United States 
in 1983 from the former Communist Czechoslovakia. Her son John was 
killed by a roadside bomb attack in Iraq. He was just 19 years old. 
Helena knows what it means to be free better than most of us. On 
Memorial Day, just a few weeks ago, Helena said:

       I'm really grateful that we are here, even with this loss. 
     I miss him so much, I feel it on my own skin. This freedom is 
     not free.

  Mr. President, freedom is not free. The brave men and women in our 
military and their families sacrifice greatly for us, and we can never 
thank them enough, but we can express our gratitude to them.
  So today I again say thank you to the men and women who stand tall in 
defense of this Nation and in support of our freedom. You make us 
proud. And with a very heavy heart, I thank the families across America 
and across my State whose pain I cannot even begin to imagine. Your 
loss is our Nation's loss. God bless you all, and God bless this 
country.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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