[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9448]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    IN HONOR AND IN MEMORY OF BRIAN D. SHRADER OF HUEYTOWN, ALABAMA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 15, 2008

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a young 
man from Hueytown, Alabama, who recently made the ultimate sacrifice 
while serving as a firefighter for the United States Department of 
Defense in Mosul, Iraq.
  A 1994 graduate of Pleasant Grove High School, Brian's childhood 
dream was to become a career firefighter. Brian had even interviewed 
with Mobile Fire-Rescue by telephone from Iraq and would most likely 
have received a position in the upcoming class of recruits.
  In a fitting tribute, the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department honor guard 
escorted the funeral procession down Interstate 65 from Hueytown to 
Mobile. The procession was met by the Mobile County Sheriff's Office at 
the Mobile County line, and the hearse carrying Brian's casket passed 
under a 30-foot-by-50-foot flag hung from extended ladders of two 
Mobile Fire-Rescue trucks on its way to the Mobile cemetery where he 
was laid to rest.
  At this difficult time, it is only appropriate for us to pause and 
give thanks to God that there are still young men like Brian D. 
Shrader. His life and actions personify the very best America has to 
offer. I feel certain his many friends and family, as well as his 
fellow firefighters in Iraq, while mourning the loss of this fine young 
man, are also taking this opportunity to remember his many 
accomplishments and to recall the fine gift they each received simply 
from knowing him and having him as an integral part of their lives.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to take a moment and pay tribute 
to Brian D. Shrader and his selfless devotion to our country and the 
freedom we enjoy.
  We should also remember his wife, Rebecca Shrader; their three 
children, Kaitlyn, Hailey, and Jacob; his parents, Richard F. Shrader 
Sr. and Linda Shrader; and his other relatives and many friends. Our 
prayer is that God will give them all the strength and courage that 
only He can provide to sustain them during the difficult days ahead.

                          ____________________