[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5693-5694]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO CORPORAL WINDELL JERYD SIMMONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, in Kentucky there is a family mourning 
the loss of a young man who was taken from them entirely too soon. On 
September 21, 2006, CPL Windell Jeryd Simmons was tragically killed 
when an improvised explosive device detonated under his humvee while on 
patrol near Taji, Iraq. The Hopkinsville, KY, soldier was 20 years old.
  For his valor in service, Corporal Simmons received several medals, 
awards, and decorations, including the Army Good Conduct Medal, the 
Army Commendation Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star.
  Jeryd, as he was known, may have been born in Nuremburg, Germany, in 
1986, but he was raised in Hopkinsville. Jeryd's mother, Betty Simmons-
Mayo, tells us how her son would always greet her whenever he entered a 
room.
  Jeryd used to always enter a room and say,``Hey Mom.'' Then whenever 
he would come back into the room, he would say, ``Hey, Mom'' again, she 
recalls. I think he would say ``Hey, Mom'' at least 15 times a day. He 
would start his e-mails from Iraq with ``Hey, Mom.''
  But her friendly son was not without his mischievous side. Betty also 
recalls a time when Jeryd hid a water gun behind his back and would 
sneakily shoot his mother, brother, and sister with it every time they 
walked by. Whenever one of his victims accused him of being a culprit, 
Jeryd would plead innocence. So his mother hatched a scheme to prank 
the prankster. She said:

       Jeryd loved to play practical jokes. To get him back, I got 
     everyone a water balloon, and the next time he was outside, 
     we threw balloons at him. He stopped shooting everyone after 
     that.

  Jeryd graduated from Christian County High School in 2004 and set his 
sights on enlisting in the U.S. Army. He had made his decision to serve 
his country before graduating.
  Jeryd's friends remember him as a natural leader, somebody they would 
dearly miss, but also someone they knew would make them proud for his 
service in uniform.
  ``He was like the ring leader. He was the best,'' says Tad Abukuppeh, 
a high school classmate. ``No matter what it was, he was always 
energetic about everything we did together.''
  Another friend, Justin Baker, agrees.

       He was pretty quiet in school, but when you got him out of 
     school, he was one of the funniest guys you would meet. He 
     was the idea man. If we were bored, he would think of 
     something to do.

  Jeryd enlisted on June 24, 2004, and was assigned to HHC Company, 3rd 
Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, 
stationed in Fort Hood, TX.
  He was deployed to Iraq in December 2005. Jeryd wrote in an email to 
his mother that he would be home in time for Christmas. But, sadly, 
that was an appointment he would not keep.
  Jeryd's funeral service was held in Hopkinsville, where he was buried 
in a veterans' cemetery. He was laid to rest with full military rites, 
including a 21-gun salute and the playing of ``Taps.''
  A memorial service for Corporal Simmons was held in Fort Hood also. 
At that service, CPT Brad McBrayer remembered Jeryd as someone who made 
people laugh. He reminded his fellow soldiers of Jeryd's career 
ambition to be a special agent for the FBI someday.
  Our thoughts are with the Simmons family today after the loss of CPL 
Windell Jeryd Simmons. We are thinking of his mother, Betty Simmons-
Mayo; his father, William Simmons; his stepfather, Jamel Mayo; his 
brother, William J. Deal; his sister, Jarysa L. Simmons; his step-
grandmother, Mrs. Alfreda Brewer, and many other beloved family members 
and friends.
  April Harris, Jeryd's math teacher from Christian County High, 
remembers Jeryd this way: ``He could have taken the easy route,'' she 
says, ``but he wanted to prepare himself.''

[[Page 5694]]

  While she was speaking about Jeryd's efforts in her classroom, she 
could easily have been talking about the focus and determination Jeryd 
applied to life itself.
  Our Nation is honored to have so many sons and daughters like CPL 
Windell Jeryd Simmons, who choose to stand and fight for freedom and 
for their country.
  On behalf of a grateful Nation, this U.S. Senate salutes Corporal 
Simmons's choice to serve. We owe his family a debt that cannot be 
repaid. And we will forever honor his sacrifice.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

                          ____________________