[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 303-304]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 STAFF SERGEANT EDWARD C. REYNOLDS, JR.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, ``To be born free is an accident, to live free 
is a privilege, and to die free is a responsibility.'' Powerful words 
spoken by Brigadier General James Sehorn that are embedded into the 
minds of our valiant soldiers protecting nations from a cowardly enemy 
that burrows beneath the Iraqi desert sands, those individuals that 
seek to annihilate our freedoms that all people should have.
  The American soldier believes in freedom more than any other 
individual on Earth because they witness the inhumanity of tyranny. 
They see it in the fierce trenches of battle. Our soldiers secure life 
and liberty, and they give it to those folks in Afghanistan and Iraq.
  U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Edward Charles Reynolds, Jr. was one of 
these soldiers. He was an 8-year Army veteran. Staff Sergeant Reynolds 
had been stationed among the terrorist Iraqi insurgents, fighting 
against them to ensure a free nation of Iraq.
  He is a native of Port Arthur, Texas, and he was a 1997 graduate of 
Thomas Jefferson High School, where he was a star tight-end and middle 
linebacker on the football team. As a Texan, Staff Sergeant Reynolds 
spent fall football seasons cheering for one of the greatest teams in 
college football, the University of Texas Longhorns. Those who knew him 
knew a man who took care of others, whether it be his family, his 
friends, or his country. Staff Sergeant Reynolds was their protector.
  Family was the most important thing to Staff Sergeant Reynolds. He 
was a devoted father to his children, two daughters and a son. He was 
dedicated to his fiancee. He was the guardian of his older sister. 
Friends knew him as the man that kept them out of trouble, pushing them 
to succeed in life. And his country knew him as a defender of our 
freedoms.
  In December 2005, Staff Sergeant Reynolds was deployed to Iraq, 
worlds away, but he remained a constant presence in the life of his 
family and all of his friends. He sent out cards and letters, 
constantly reminding his fiancee of their New Year's Eve wedding date. 
During the next 10 months, assigned to the U.S. Army 1st Battalion, 
67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Staff Sergeant 
Reynolds dodged bullets, IEDs, and Iraqi outlaws throughout the Baghdad 
desert.
  But on September 26, less than 2 months from coming home to Texas, 
Staff Sergeant Reynolds and a fellow soldier were crossing a Baghdad 
bridge in a military convoy when that bridge collapsed, plunging their 
vehicle underwater, trapping both soldiers inside. 27-year-old Staff 
Sergeant Reynolds and his colleague were killed in action, becoming 
victims in the struggle for Iraqi freedom.
  A decorated soldier, Staff Sergeant Reynolds was the recipient of the 
Combat Infantry Badge, the Kosovo Campaign Medal. He was also awarded 
the Iraqi Combat Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism 
Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the 
Bronze

[[Page 304]]

Star. He was a lifelong member of the Borden Chapel Missionary Baptist 
Church. And like his mother and father, Staff Sergeant Reynolds had a 
devout faith in his Almighty God, believing that everything he was 
given was a gift by Him.
  On October 7, the Borden Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in 
Beaumont, Texas, and the Reverend Airon Reynolds, Jr., gave this brave 
soldier a hero's memorial and homecoming. Family and friends were not 
the only ones who memorialized and honored Staff Sergeant Reynolds. The 
Patriot Guard Riders and the Southeast Texas Veterans Service thanked 
him for his valor. More than 200 Patriot Guard Riders, with flags of 
tribute raised, stood in honor of Staff Sergeant Reynolds, the son of 
Texas, an American soldier, as he reached his eternal resting place.
  Mr. Speaker, I have a photograph of Sergeant Reynolds, the way that 
he was when he was protecting freedom across the desert sands of Iraq. 
American citizens are born into the privilege of freedom, and we must 
remember that the sacrifice given by Staff Sergeant Reynolds and all 
American warriors is responsible for the continuation of this great 
Nation.
  Staff Sergeant Reynolds chose to protect the freedom that he was born 
into from the violent militants robbing nations of life and liberty. So 
God bless Staff Sergeant Reynolds and his family.
  In the words of George Orwell: ``We sleep safely in our beds because 
rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would 
do us harm.''
  And that's just the way it is

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