[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 21658-21659]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                        Captain Eric D. Terhune

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to one of our 
bravest warriors who gave his life to defend us. U.S. Marine Corps CPT 
Eric D. Terhune of Lexington, KY, was conducting a security patrol in 
the Farah Province of Afghanistan on June 19, 2008, when he was killed 
by enemy small-arms fire. He was 34 years old.
  For his heroism in service, Captain Terhune received several awards, 
medals and decorations, including the Strike/Flight Air Medal, the 
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, two National Defense Service Medals 
and the Armed Forces Service Medal.
  Those who knew Captain Terhune would describe him as a man committed 
to serving his country and proud to wear the uniform. In fact, as his 
uncle, David Terhune, puts it, since Eric was born in a Naval hospital 
in Quantico, VA, where his father was on active duty, ``Eric was born a 
Marine.''
  Eric was also committed to his faith. When family members expressed 
worry about his dangerous job, he told them, ``If I live, it's 
wonderful. But if I die, it's absent from the body and present with the 
Lord.''
  Eric was raised in Lexington, attended Tates Creek Presbyteria Church 
and studied at Wheaton Academy in Wheaton, IL. As a kid he was active 
in everything from Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting to soccer and Little 
League baseball.
  Eric was also a competitive swimmer who loved to hunt and scuba dive. 
As a marine, he would dive to collect shells and sharks' teeth in the 
many places the Corps sent him.
  Once on a sail boat trip with his family, when it was Eric's turn to 
do the dishes after dinner, he came up with a creative cleaning 
method--he threw them in the ocean, put on his scuba gear, and 
retrieved the dishes from the water.
  Upon high school graduation, Eric enlisted in the same branch his 
father and grandfather had once served in, the Marine Corps. After 4 
years as a noncommissioned officer and a reconnaissance sharpshooter, 
Eric dreamt of becoming a Naval aviator like his dad.
  This required a college degree. So with some encouragement from his 
grandparents, Daniel and Joy Terhune, he used his GI bill benefits to 
enroll at Morehead State University.
  At Morehead, Eric made the honor roll and competed on the varsity 
rifle team. ``There [was] no doubt . . . when Eric turned in his 
targets from a rifle match, who pulled the trigger,'' his uncle David 
says. ``He was an expert sharpshooter.''
  Upon graduation, Eric received his commission as a second lieutenant 
in the Marine Corps. He then spent a year at Naval Air Station 
Pensacola and earned his coveted wings of gold.
  Eric flew the CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter during his first tour in 
Iraq. His friends in the Corps nicknamed him ``D-Ring,'' after the D-
ring located overhead in the helicopters he flew to be pulled in case 
of emergency.
  His fellow marines spoke highly of Eric. His commanding officer, LTC 
Richard D. Hall, says,

       ``D-Ring,'' as we all affectionately called him, and [as] 
     was his aviator's call-sign, was a Marine that everyone 
     liked; and I mean everybody. He had a gracious and kind 
     personality that was truly infectious; so much so, that I too 
     became infected by his wonderful persona.

  MAJ Darby Wiler was Eric's staff platoon commander at The Basic 
School, where newly commissioned marine officers are sent for weapons, 
tactical, and leadership training. Major Wiler says, ``Eric's work 
ethic was unparalleled amongst his peers.
  ``Even in the midst of the most unpleasant circumstances that The 
Basic School had to offer, he was always upbeat, motivated, and ready 
to go,'' the major adds.
  Eric volunteered for a second tour of Iraq, which he completed last 
November. When his ship, the U.S.S. Denver, arrived in Pearl Harbor, he 
was allowed to give one family member the honor of joining him and his 
crew for the final leg of the voyage home to San Diego. Eric chose his 
grandfather.
  ``That trip halfway across the Pacific Ocean together, eating 
together in the ward room, watching ships operations from the bridge, 
showing his grandfather how to shoot an M-16, how to shoot a .50 
Caliber machine gun . . . this was the greatest of bonding experiences 
for both of them,'' says Eric's uncle David.
  ``Eric has told me many times what a blast it was to share those days 
with Dad. For Dad, it was an indescribable joy to see his grandson 
performing as a Marine and standing tall as a Christian officer.''
  After his two tours in Iraq, Eric expected to return to training to 
requalify as a helicopter pilot. But then he learned the Marine Corps 
was short of forward air controllers--an important position, 
responsible for directing other aircraft in close air support and 
requiring substantial experience.
  ``He had a lot of conversations with his dad--`What do you think 
about this Afghanistan thing?' '' David recalls. ``His dad laid out the 
pros and cons, and Eric said, `Look, if you're in the Marine Corps, you 
don't duck the fight.'
  Eric volunteered and was deployed to Afghanistan in April of this 
year with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 
I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Twentynine Palms, CA.
  ``We have heard numerous reports of him volunteering to take the 
place of some of his friends who had a wife and children,'' David says.
  Eric brought the same work ethic he carried with him throughout his 
career to Afghanistan. CPT Carlos R. Cuevas who served alongside Eric 
in Afghanistan, remembers when he first met Eric.
  ``I believe the first thing he asked me was, `Hey, Captain Cuevas, 
can you tell me where the armory is and who I need to talk to get my 
weapon?' '' the captain remembers. ``As a fellow captain and Marine . . 
. I can tell you his professionalism and enthusiasm for his job was 
readily apparent,'' the captain says.
  ``He loved being a pilot, a Marine, and most of all serving alongside 
his fellow Marines.''
  Eric couldn't write or call his family often from Afghanistan, but 
they were always happy when he did. On June 16 he sent what would be 
his final e-mail.
  ``He wrote and addressed each of his cousins by name, encouraging 
them, affirming them, giving advice to them,'' says David. ``And [he] 
expressed his longing to join us at our next family gathering.''
  Three days after that e-mail, Mr. President, Eric was killed. And 
although nothing we say here today can alleviate the pain of his 
family, I know my colleagues join me in expressing our deepest 
sympathies to them for their tragic loss.
  We are thinking of Eric's father and stepmother Paul and Carleen 
Terhune; his grandparents Daniel and Joy Terhune; his uncle and aunt 
David and Dotti Terhune; many beloved family members, including Dr. and 
Mrs. Oliver Jeromin, Dr. and Mrs. Richard Colquitt, David W. Terhune, 
Jr., Rebecca Joy Terhune, Bea Hansgen, and many others.
  I will leave the final words to Eric's uncle David, who describes his 
nephew this way. Eric ``was, in the best sense of the word, an officer 
and a gentleman and a patriot,'' David says. ``I always admired his 
strength and his power, but he was also gentle at the same time.''
  Mr. President, this U.S. Senate honors CPT Eric D. Terhune as an 
officer,

[[Page 21659]]

a gentleman, and a patriot. We are grateful for his years of service to 
our Nation and his great sacrifice. And we send our profound thanks to 
the Terhune family for giving their country this heroic marine. It is 
only by men such as he that every American can stand tall and free.


                  STAFF SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER N. HAMLIN

  Mr. President, I rise to also honor another fallen member of our 
Armed Forces. This Nation is honored to have the finest arsenal of 
freedom in the world in our Armed Forces. Today I pay tribute to one of 
those brave warriors, SSG Christopher N. Hamlin of London, KY.
  On May 4, 2007, Staff Sergeant Hamlin was tragically killed after an 
improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle as he was 
conducting combat operations in Baghdad. A soldier since 2001, who had 
deployed to Afghanistan, Kosovo, and on multiple tours to Iraq, he was 
24 years old.
  For his heroism during service, Staff Sergeant Hamlin received 
several awards, medals, and decorations, including the National Defense 
Service Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, 
the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star Medal.
  Chris packed a lot of life into his too short 24 years. Friends and 
family members remember his dedication to the uniform, his love of 
eating crab legs, and his enjoyment watching NASCAR. He was also a 
writer and sometimes a poet, who would send his work to friends back 
home from Iraq.
  ``Make every day count!'' Chris once wrote. ``Appreciate every moment 
and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be 
able to experience it again.''
  Those words, and others, from Chris's pen were remembered at his 
funeral service in London.
  ``He never quit at anything,'' says his mother, Autumn Hamlin. ``He 
said that he wanted to travel the world and not watch it on television. 
He wanted to be right there.''
  Chris grew up in Laurel County, KY, and liked hunting and fishing. At 
North Laurel High School, he was on the basketball, cross country and 
track teams and active in Junior ROTC, and he showed his eagerness to 
help others at a young age.
  ``He'd be hanging around, waiting for basketball practice to start 
and he'd help the janitor clean the school,'' says CDR Kenneth 
Vanourney, his ROTC instructor.
  ``In basic training, he did a lot to help the other soldiers complete 
their training,'' adds Chris's stepfather, Otis Johnson. ``He was 
already physically fit and he would finish the course early and go back 
to encourage the others to complete [it].''
  Chris graduated from high school in 2001 and enlisted in the Army 
soon after, heading to Fort Benning, GA, for basic training. 
Eventually, Chris trained as a sniper and took first place in his 
training class while earning a near-perfect shooting score.
  When Chris's enlistment was up, he reenlisted. The excellence he 
brought to his job was rewarded as he rapidly advanced in rank.
  ``In my 30 years in the Army, there have only been a handful of 
infantrymen reach noncommissioned officer in five years or less,'' says 
BG Joe Orr, who spoke at Chris's funeral service.
  The Brigadier General adds:

       I have met very few five-year soldiers who have been on as 
     many deployments as Chris. He believed in what he was doing. 
     Not only serving his Nation, but serving the people of 
     Afghanistan and Iraq. He will live on in our Army for years 
     and years.

  Chris's Army experience will also live on in the house of his 
grandmother, Zola Hamlin. Chris often sent her mementoes of his 
experiences around the world, including currency from the Holy Land, a 
tiny model of the Eiffel Tower, and a plastic bottle of sand from 
Normandy Beach with a picture of Chris standing on the beach taped to 
the front. ``We've always been real close,'' Zola said.
  Chris's stepfather Otis said Chris talked to him about perhaps 
attending the University of Kentucky after returning home. He was 
considering a career in law enforcement or as a corrections officer.
  In Iraq, Commander Vanourney said Chris's caring nature came through 
as he made an effort to learn the names of the children who gathered 
around the American troops. He told me: ``I think we're making a 
difference,'' the commander recalls.
  Our sympathies go out to the many loved ones that Chris leaves behind 
today as I share his story with my fellow Senators. We are thinking of 
his mother, Autumn Eve Hamlin; his father, Ronnie Veach; his 
stepfather, Otis Johnson; his grandparents, Zola Lewis Hamlin and 
Thurman Jerome Hamlin; his aunt, April Hamlin Young; his uncle, John 
Hamlin; his five half sisters, and many other beloved friends and 
family members. Chris was predeceased by his aunt, Dovey Lewis Hollins.
  In a letter that Chris sent home to his family from Iraq with advice 
for the people he missed back home, Chris wrote:

       Everyone dies . . . but not everyone lives. Life may not 
     always be the party we hoped for, but for the while we are 
     here, we should dance. Right now I'm in Baghdad patrolling 
     the streets day and night, and I'm proud of my job.

  This Senate is also proud of the job SSG Christopher N. Hamlin did. 
We honor his service and his great sacrifice, and we extend to the 
Hamlin family the thanks of a grateful nation for lending their country 
this fine patriot and soldier.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Texas is 
recognized.

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