[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20110]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            REMEMBERING SPECIALIST SHAVONTE DONTRELL FIELDS

 Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I rise today with a heavy heart to 
honor the life of SPC Shavonte Dontrell Fields from Fort Wayne, IN. 
Shavonte was 22 years old when he lost his life on September 7, 2008, 
from injuries sustained when his vehicle, also carrying his 2-year-old 
son Ladaryion Shavonte Fields, overturned in Indianapolis shortly after 
he returned from active duty in Iraq.
  Today, I join Shavonte and Ladaryion's family and friends in mourning 
their deaths. Shavonte, who was known to many as Dontrell, will forever 
be remembered as a loving father, son, brother, and friend to many. 
Shavonte is survived by his parents Anita M. Davis Fields and Robert 
Lee Fields, Jr.; his stepfather Detrick Eley; his siblings Robert Lee 
Fields, III, Detrick Tubbs and Demetria Eley; his grandparents, John 
and Margurite Davis, Frank and Betty Cochran, Robert and Mary Fields 
and Deborah Andrew; and his great-grandparents Tom and Lena Lofton. He 
was preceded in death by his grandmother, Carlotta Joann Cochran.
  Shavonte served a 14-month deployment in Iraq as a petroleum 
specialist with the Army National Guard. Those who knew him best recall 
a devout man who loved making people smile. Shavonte's family said he 
had an ``energetic personality and an infectious sense of humor that 
spread to all those in his vicinity.'' He was a member of the 
Progressive Baptist Church of Fort Wayne. At the time of the accident, 
Shavonte was moving back into civilian life, set to start a new job as 
a customer service representative with AT&T the next day.
  While we struggle to express our sorrow over this loss, we can take 
pride in the example Shavonte set as both a soldier and a father. Today 
and always, he will be remembered by family, friends and fellow 
Hoosiers as a true American hero, and we cherish the legacy of his 
service and his life.
  It is my sad duty to enter the name of Shavonte Dontrell Fields in 
the Record of the U.S. Senate for his service to this country and for 
his profound commitment to freedom, democracy and peace. I pray that 
Shavonte's family 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 Shavonte.

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