[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 938]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                 Sergeant Jon Michael Schoolcraft, III

  Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I rise today with a heavy heart and deep 
sense of gratitude to honor the life of a brave soldier. SGT Jon 
Michael Schoolcraft, III, 26 years old, died January 19 in Taji, Iraq. 
Sergeant Schoolcraft died of injuries he sustained when an improvised 
explosive device detonated near his vehicle. With an optimistic future 
before him, Jon risked everything to fight for the values Americans 
hold close to our hearts, in a land halfway around the world.
  Jon Schoolcraft, called Mike by his friends, graduated from 
Wapakoneta High School in Ohio in 2001. Growing up in Ohio with his 
mother, Cindy Schoolcraft-Hooker, Mike also spent time in Madison, IN, 
visiting his father, Mike Schoolcraft, Jr. Mike excelled at sports and 
particularly enjoyed skateboarding. His sense of duty to his country 
and a desire to see the world drove him to enroll in the Army's Delayed 
Entry Program while in high school.
  After serving a first tour in Iraq, Mike reenlisted, telling a friend 
that he could not imagine doing anything other than being a soldier. In 
November of last year, Mike married his wife Amber and decided that his 
next tour in Iraq would be his last so they could begin a family. Mike 
was assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th 
Infantry Division in Schofield Barracks, HI. For his extraordinary 
service, Mike was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
  Today, I join Mike's family and friends in mourning his death. While 
we struggle to bear our sorrow over this loss, we can also take pride 
in the example he set, bravely fighting to make the world a safer 
place. It is his courage and strength of character that people will 
remember when they think of Mike. Today and always, Mike will be 
remembered by family members, friends and fellow soldiers as a true 
American hero, and we honor the sacrifice he made while dutifully 
serving his country.
  As I search for words to do justice in honoring Mike's sacrifice, I 
am reminded of President Lincoln's remarks as he addressed the families 
of the fallen soldiers in Gettysburg: ``We cannot dedicate, we cannot 
consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and 
dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power 
to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we 
say here, but it can never forget what they did here.'' This statement 
is just as true today as it was nearly 150 years ago, as I am certain 
that the impact of Mike's actions will live on far longer than any 
record of these words.
  It is my sad duty to enter the name of SGT Jon Michael Schoolcraft, 
III, in the Record of the U.S. Senate for his service to this country 
and for his profound commitment to freedom, democracy and peace. When I 
think about this just cause in which we are engaged, and the 
unfortunate pain that comes with the loss of our heroes, I hope that 
families like Mike's can find comfort in the words of the prophet 
Isaiah who said, ``He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord 
God will wipe away tears from off all faces.''
  May God grant strength and peace to those who mourn, and may God be 
with all of you, as I know He is with Mike.

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