[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 24087]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                       Sergeant Michael K. Clark

  Mr. SALAZAR. Madam President, it is with a heavy heart that I rise 
today to pay tribute to the life and service of SGT Michael Clark. A 
member of Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Sergeant Clark was 
killed on October 7 when his foot patrol was ambushed in Mosul, Iraq. 
He was 24 years old.
  Sergeant Clark was on his second deployment to Iraq and in his fourth 
year of service in the 3rd Brigade. He was assigned to the brigade's 
1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, and served as a fire support 
specialist, a job that requires quick thinking, unusually strong 
stamina, and a mastery of the techniques of target processing. In this 
urban, guerrilla-style conflict, where the enemy's location is often 
difficult to acquire, Sergeant Clark played a vital role as the eyes 
and ears of his team.
  Sergeant Clark's dedication and talent earned him a number of awards, 
including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign 
Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Combat Action Badge. He was 
also a two-time recipient of the Army Commendation Medal, which 
recognizes exemplary service.
  Sergeant Clark and his team were charged with maintaining security in 
the eastern portion of Mosul, which is Iraq's second largest city and 
one of the remaining centers of operation for al-Qaida in Iraq. They 
carried out their mission--one of the most dangerous and important of 
the war--with courage and tenacity.
  As a result of their efforts, security conditions in Mosul have 
markedly improved, and neighborhoods in the city that were once under 
control of extremists have been reclaimed and turned over to the Iraqi 
people. Two days before Sergeant Clark's death, American forces in 
Mosul killed Abu Qaswarah, the second-in-command for al-Qaida-in-Iraq 
who coordinated operations in the region. Thanks in large measure to 
the incredible courage and skill of Sergeant Clark and his men, the 
tide in Mosul is turning.
  Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that, ``the characteristic of genuine 
heroism is its persistency. All men have wandering impulses, fits and 
starts of generosity. But when you have resolved to be great, abide by 
yourself, and do not weakly try to reconcile yourself with the world. 
The heroic cannot be common, nor the common heroic.''
  Sergeant Clark possessed the persistence and dedication to duty that 
is the mark of a genuine hero. He enlisted at a young age. He deployed 
and he redeployed. He served every day in Iraq committed to his 
country, his men, and his mission. He carried out his mission with 
distinction and honor. He was anything but common, and we are all 
better for it.
  To Sergeant Clark's mother Cherie, his father Bradley, his wife 
Nalini, his son Lucas, and all his friends and family, I cannot imagine 
the sorrow you must be feeling. I hope that, in time, the pain of your 
loss is assuaged by your pride in Michael's service and by your 
knowledge that his country will never forget him. We are humbled by his 
service and his sacrifice.


                         Corporal Adrian Robles

  Mr. HAGEL. Madam President, I rise to express my sympathy over the 
loss of United States Marine Corps Corporal Adrian Robles of 
Scottsbluff, NE. Corporal Robles died on October 22 from injuries he 
sustained while supporting combat operations in Helmand province in 
southern Afghanistan.
  A graduate of Scottsbluff High School, Corporal Robles, who was 21 
years old, was an exemplary marine. Throughout his service, which 
included a tour in Iraq during 2006, Corporal Robles received three 
medals of Good Conduct from the Marine Corps; two Sea Service 
Deployment Ribbons; the Afghanistan Campaign Medal; the Iraq Campaign 
Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the National Defense 
Service Medal; and the Purple Heart.
  All of Nebraska is proud of Corporal Robles' service to our country, 
as well as the thousands of brave men and women serving in the U.S. 
Armed Forces.
  Corporal Robles is remembered as a devoted son and brother. He is 
survived by his parents Cesar and Yolanda; sister Beatriz; and 
stepsiblings Cesar and Ricardo Robles and Yovana Chaparro.
  I ask my colleagues to join me and all Americans in honoring U.S. 
Marine Corps Corporal Adrian Robles.

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