[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2772]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING FIRST LIEUTENANT JACOB N. FRITZ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Speaker, the conflict in Iraq weighs heavily on 
us all, especially when we receive casualty announcements and face the 
stark reality of precious lives lost far from the comfort of home and 
family.
  Today, I would like to pay tribute to First Lieutenant Jacob N. Fritz 
of Verdon, Nebraska, who lost his life in a brutal ambush on January 
23.
  A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, 
Lieutenant Fritz served valiantly in the Army's 25th Infantry Division 
when he came under attack near Karbala, Iraq. While details are still 
pending, we know that a group of men wearing U.S. military uniforms 
infiltrated a government compound and opened fire on Lieutenant Fritz, 
who was standing outside his vehicle at the time of the incident.
  Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful to Lyle and Noala Fritz, Jacob's 
parents, for taking so much time to speak with me about Jacob recently. 
As Noala said to me, ``God got a good one.''
  Continuing a proud family tradition, Lieutenant Fritz's brother 
Daniel is currently at West Point and is scheduled to graduate in the 
year 2008. I want to reassure Daniel and the entire Fritz family that 
we are all united in our support and concern for the outstanding men 
and women who willingly risk their lives in Iraq under arduous 
circumstances that would tax the best of us.
  Mr. Speaker, as we take this moment to grieve, we also want to honor 
the Fritz family for their dedicated service to the United States. I 
pray that God's peace will console and strengthen them during this 
difficult time and in the days ahead.

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