[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7658]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE LIFE OF ARMY SPECIALIST JACOB J. FAIRBANKS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                             of minnesotta

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 1, 2008

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, I rise to remember and 
honor the life and courage of U.S. Army Specialist Jacob J. Fairbanks. 
This 22-year-old native of St. Paul, Minnesota, died in Baghdad on 
April 9, 2008.
  Specialist Fairbanks joined the Army in 2004 after graduating from 
Johnson High School, where he was a member of the Junior ROTC. His 
second deployment to Iraq began last October for a tour of duty as a 
field artilleryman. He was assigned to B Battery, 1st Battalion, 320th 
Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne 
Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
  Fairbanks served his nation and his fellow soldiers with honor and 
courage. His commitment to this noble service earned him the Army 
Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense 
Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and 
the Overseas Service Ribbon. He was a proud member of the Leech Lake 
Band of Ojibwe and will be remembered as an outgoing man, dedicated to 
his family.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in paying tribute to Specialist 
Fairbanks. He is a Minnesotan and American hero. His desire to serve 
his nation is an inspiration to his community. Specialist Fairbanks' 
wife Dwan, daughter Kayla, stepchildren Alexander, Katelin, and David, 
his mother Janette, father Steve, stepfather Jeff, his many friends, 
and his comrades in Iraq have my deepest sympathies for their profound 
loss.

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