[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18645]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING SGT RYAN BAUMANN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 11, 2008

  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I rise in memory of a Maryland native who 
died last month in our country's service: SGT Ryan Baumann of Great 
Mills. I know how small a difference any words of mine can make for 
those who loved and lost him; but still, he deserves all the honor we 
can give.
  Ryan Baumann grew up in Great Mills, Maryland, where he excelled in 
sports and was an award-winning photographer. He met his fiance, Lauren 
Smith, soon after graduating from high school; tragically, he was 
killed in action before they could marry.
  Sergeant Baumann was a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, a highly 
decorated soldier. His awards included the Meritorious Service Medal, 
the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, two awards, 
the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global 
War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the 
Overseas Ribbon. He was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and 
the Bronze Star.
  Sergeant Baumann's death typified his outstanding service. Traveling 
on Route Alaska in Khost Province, Afghanistan, Sergeant Baumann 
spotted an improvised explosive device from his Humvee. As his fiance 
explained, ``They were going downhill and he saw the land mine and he 
was telling them to stop, and you can't stop a Humvee going downhill, 
and he told them to veer to the left, which made him take the brunt of 
the explosion. He wouldn't have had it any other way.'' Sgt. Baumann 
died of his injuries; every other serviceman in the Humvee survived.
  In the wake of his death, we honor his commitment to our country, his 
tremendous sacrifice, and his devotion to his comrades-in-arms. As they 
mourn their great loss, our thoughts are with his family: his father 
Robert; his mother Cindy; his stepfather Gary Lohman; his sister 
Christina; and his fiance, Lauren Smith. I pledge to them all the 
support a grateful nation can give.

                          ____________________