[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23989]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 PAYING TRIBUTE TO CPL. JUAN ALCANTARA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 7, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, today I rise to ask my colleagues to take 
a moment to remember all of our military men and women who died in the 
line of service during this recess period. Men like Cpl. Juan 
Alcantara, who died on August 6, 2007, in Baqubah, Iraq, in support of 
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  According to Department of Defense reports, Corporal Alcantara died 
of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated 
near his dismounted patrol. This news was especially heart wrenching 
for me because Cpl. Alcantara was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division 
out of Fort Lewis, Washington, the same infantry division that I served 
in during the Korean War.
  This fallen hero moved to the United States from the Dominican 
Republic at the age of 5 and graduated from Edward Reynolds West Side 
High School in my district. Like many soldiers who are fighting in 
Iraq, he enlisted in the Army with the hopes of one day being able to 
earn enough money to attend college and to secure the military's 
lucrative post-service benefits. He dreamed of obtaining 60 college 
credits to become a police academy cadet and following the footsteps of 
his sisters, Cathy and Ferdelinda Pena, by joining the NYPD.
  My District, like many communities in this country, have seen too 
many of their best and brightest come home in body bags. Young 
Americans searching for opportunity to get a college education, decent 
health care, and/or own a home are increasingly having to make the 
choice to stare into the barrel of a gun or dodge a roadside bomb in 
order to have their fair shot at the American Dream.
  Because this young warrior's service was extended as part of the 
president's new ``surge'' strategy, he asked the Army if he could come 
home to New York to see his daughter, who was born on June 29, 2007. 
His request was denied and his life tragically came to an end, never 
being able to feel the warmth of his newborn baby girl, Jayleni 
Alcantara. She will hear the heroic tales of her father but she will 
never experience his smile, affection, and the sanctuary of a fatherly 
hug.
  In the eyes of some, CpI. Alcantara's selflessness and willingness to 
make the ultimate sacrifice for this Nation is made even more 
remarkable when one considers that he was not even an American citizen. 
However, it should be no surprise that immigrant soldiers defend their 
newly established homeland with the same vigor as American born 
citizens. I've lived in this country long enough to know that no birth 
certificate can ever determine how deeply one loves this country. It 
only saddens me that he died never having realized so many dreams, 
including the one of taking the oath to our Constitution. Yet I am 
proud to call him a constituent and now that he has been awarded 
citizenship posthumously, a fellow American citizen.
  Gen. MacArthur once said, ``The soldier above all others pray for 
peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest 
wounds and scars of war.'' Let us all hope that his death was not in 
vain and that it moves our forces one step closer to home and to peace 
in the Middle East.
  We may disagree with the wars that are being waged by our Commander 
in Chief, but that should never negate the courage of our Nation's 
immigrants who have answered the call to duty and have made the 
ultimate sacrifice.

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