[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12930]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IN RECOGNITION OF THE PASSING OF SERGEANT TIMOTHY PADGETT, UNITED 
                              STATES ARMY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 16, 2007

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor SGT Timothy 
Padgett, United States Army. Sergeant Padgett, known as Timmy, gave his 
life in defense of our Nation while serving in Tarin Kwot, Afghanistan, 
on May 8, 2007. Sergeant Padgett was serving as a Green Beret with the 
1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group based in Fort Bragg, North 
Carolina.
  Timmy was raised in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, and graduated from 
Walton High School in 1997. A former firefighter paramedic with the 
South Walton Fire District, our local paper, the Northwest Florida 
Daily News, reported ``A lot of firefighters knew him well, and the 
close-knit group is taking the news of his death real hard, said Deputy 
Fire Chief Sean Hughes. `He was a great guy,' Hughes said. Most people 
knew Padgett by his big smile, which he almost always wore. His fellow 
firefighters often called him `smiling Tim,' Hughes said.''
  Timmy's mother, Glenda Penton, resides in DeFuniak Springs and has 
been remarkably steady since her son's passing. I spoke with Glenda two 
days after the horrible news and she was gracious and proud of her son. 
I was so impressed and inspired by her. I don't know if I could have 
been the same way so soon after learning of the loss of a loved one.
  I am always reminded of the greatness of our country due to the 
resiliency of people like Glenda Penton and the bravery of people like 
her son Timmy. We have an all volunteer military and continue to ask 
our sons and daughters to travel to faraway lands to fight for our 
freedom and these sons and daughters continue to answer the call.
  The people of DeFuniak Springs have reason to be proud of Sergeant 
Padgett, and I am humbled to be able to represent those people, as well 
as the memory of Sergeant Padgett, for am I equally proud. Vicki and I 
will keep Timmy's entire family, especially his 8-year-old daughter, 
Summer Lynn, in our thoughts and prayers. I hope all the people of 
Northwest Florida and our Nation do the same.

                          ____________________