[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5842-5843]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                      army sergeant timothy smith

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, amidst a great war that threatened to tear 
apart the fabric of our Nation, Abraham Lincoln gazed upon a 
battlefield and was moved to say:

       My dream is of a place and a time where America will once 
     again be seen as the last best hope on earth.

  Mr. President, on Monday, April 7, U.S. Army SGT Timothy Smith gave 
his life in pursuit of that dream. Sergeant Smith was 25 years old.
  While serving in Iraq with the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 
10th Mountain Division, Sergeant Smith was killed when an improvised 
explosive device detonated near the armored vehicle in which he was 
riding with SGT Brandon Lords.
  Sergeant Smith and Sergeant Lords were brothers in arms, and they had 
made a pact that if one was lost in combat, the other would escort his 
body home. Sergeant Lords will honor that promise by accompanying his 
fallen comrade's body to South Lake Tahoe, where he will be received by 
his beloved family and friends before he is laid to rest.
  Both Sergeant Smith and Sergeant Lords were emblematic of the 
courageous young men and women who serve in the U.S. military. My words 
are certainly insufficient to fully express our gratitude for their 
valor. Our hearts and prayers are with Tim's family.
  Thursday night, at about 7 o'clock Washington time, I called and 
spoke to Michael, Tim's father. We had a very nice visit. I expressed 
my sympathy, and I said to Michael: You know, I have four boys, and I 
cannot comprehend what you are going through at this time. We talked 
for quite a long time, and he said, ``Before you hang up, would you 
talk to Timmy's brother Tommy?'' I said that I would be happy to. He 
was right there. So I talked to him for quite a long time. I told Tommy 
that I could appreciate what he was going through because I was one of 
four brothers. My brother Dale died unexpectedly in his midforties. I 
expressed to Tommy how, even today--on that Thursday night--I would 
like to be able to talk to my brother Dale, even though it has been 
more than two decades ago that he died. I can see in one of my boys my 
brother Dale's smile and the way he walks. So I could empathize much 
better with Tommy than I could with his dad.
  We talked for quite a long time and he said, ``Would you talk to 
Jackie?'' That is their sister. We had a wonderful visit, talking about 
how sorry they felt, how they will miss their brother. When I was 
getting ready to end the conversation with Jackie, she said, ``Will you 
call Mom?'' Her mother was visiting with Tim's wife in North or South 
Carolina--I forget which. So I called her when I hung up. We had 
another nice visit.
  I told Michael, when I first called--and these calls are really hard 
to make. I have made a few of them, and they are difficult to make. 
This call was no easier than the others. It was sure a nice visit we 
had, in effect, crying on each other's shoulder. I think that is what 
these times are for, to be able to reflect on our loved and lost. So I 
indicated to each of those four to make sure they expressed to Tim's 
wife Shayna and their son Riley how our thoughts and prayers go out to 
her and the little boy.
  Tim graduated in 2001 from South Tahoe High School. He joined the 
Army in April 2004--about 4 years ago. He is remembered by all as 
having a special sense of humor, for making people laugh, and really 
for his warmth. He was opinionated and strong, even from a young age. 
He was determined, courageous, and caring.
  Tim married Shayna on the Fourth of July 2007. Their son Riley must 
now grow up to be a man without a father but with the gift of knowing 
his father was a real live American hero who gave his life for his 
country.
  Honoring SGT Timothy Smith on the floor of the Senate is no more than 
a modest tribute to his great sacrifice. I hope it is some small 
comfort to those his life and courage touched that the Senate and the 
American people share the pain of their grief and the burden of their 
sacrifice.
  In SGT Timothy Smith's memory, as I told his parents and brother and 
sister, we pray that every man and woman serving in Iraq will come home 
safely and soon.

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