[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5863-5864]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                        Sergeant Richard L. Ford

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise to speak in memory of U.S. Army SGT. 
Richard L. Ford, of East Hartford, CT. Last month, at the age of 40, he 
died of combat wounds sustained in Iraq.
  Sergeant Ford served with the Army's distinguished White Falcons 
paratrooper regiment, a unit with a reputation for speed and 
flexibility that dates back to 1917. ``Richard possessed all the 
qualities of a great paratrooper,'' said his commanding officer, LTC 
Richard Kim. Those qualities were evident in the city of Mosul in 
February, 2005. There, Sergeant Ford faced enemy fire to help save his 
fellow soldiers, an act of physical courage for which he was awarded 
the Army Commendation Medal with a ``V'' device for valor. His other 
decorations included a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
  But Sergeant Ford was even more remarkable for his moral courage, the 
way he embodied the ideals of our volunteer military. No one sent 
Richard Ford to Iraq--he chose to go. Three years ago, he left his post 
with the Army National Guard to enter active duty. ``He went through 
basic training again just to do what he wanted to do--become an 
infantry soldier,'' said his friend, SFC Chris Beloff. ``Anyone who 
does all that I have the utmost respect for, because he really believed 
in what he was doing.'' Sergeant Ford willingly left his loved ones and 
risked his life for his beliefs; few of us can say the same.
  The time away from his family must have hurt him the most. Even when 
he

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was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC, Sergeant Ford would drive for 12 hours 
back to Connecticut on weekends to be with his father, Mason, and his 
11-year-old son, Michael Patrick. Shortly after Sergeant Ford's death, 
Michael called his father his ``biggest hero.'' Nothing can replace him 
in the lives of those he loved, but they can be proud that their hero 
fought bravely and served selflessly.
  We owe him a debt beyond payment. But I pledge to keep his memory 
fresh and to add my voice to the prayers of his family. To his father 
and son; to his brothers, Matthew Ford, and Mason Ford, Jr.; to his 
sister, Vanessa Migliore; and to his grandmother, Marjorie Gordon--I 
offer my deepest sympathy. And to this soldier who lost his life in our 
Nation's service, I swear my highest respect.

                          ____________________