[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10978]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE LIFE OF SERGEANT JOSEPH FORD OF KNOX, INDIANA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE DONNELLY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2008

  Mr. DONNELLY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and remember 
Sergeant Joseph Ford, originally of Knox, Indiana. Sergeant Ford was a 
proud member of Bravo Troop First Battalion 152nd Cavalry 76th Infantry 
Brigade Combat Team of the Indiana Army National Guard. He died on May 
10 when his vehicle rolled over during a training exercise near Al 
Asad, Iraq. While his death leaves us all mourning a life cut short, I 
also wish to celebrate the life of this tremendous young man.
  For most of that life, Sergeant Ford was simply known as Joey. When 
Peggy Shidaker, his high school French teacher, learned of his death, 
she said ``He enjoyed life and we enjoyed having him,'' and she noted 
how he had been a student who made her laugh. Maybe he made her laugh 
because he genuinely enjoyed school and learning and made frequent 
trips back to Knox High School to visit his old teachers after he 
graduated. This love of learning showed up throughout his life; one of 
the first things Lieutenant Josh Chastain noticed about Joey after he 
joined the National Guard was his interest in world and military 
history. Lieutenant Chastain noted, ``He was a really intelligent kid. 
He knew a lot.'' This passion and interest in history, both ancient and 
modern, led Joey to varied interests: he loved to fence, and he aided a 
school production of The Three Musketeers by choreographing the fight 
sequences. It also led him to leave Knox following high school to 
attend the University of Southern Indiana and major in history.
  But Joey's passion in history reflected a passion for his country. 
This passion--this patriotism--kindled in him the desire to serve his 
country. And Joey did not only want to serve, he wanted to serve in the 
infantry, joining a National Guard unit based in New Albany rather than 
one more conveniently located in Evansville, where he was in USI's ROTC 
program. He was so dedicated that when he looked at military service 
following high school, he realized he had to do a lot of work to meet 
the fitness requirements; he did not hesitate to put in that effort, 
and he ended up losing seventy pounds to fulfill his dream of serving.
  He became a proud member of the Indiana Army National Guard. Peggy 
Shidaker remembered him once again returning to Knox High School 
following his enlistment, ``He was so proud that he came back to tell 
me he was going into the National Guard, and we were really proud of 
him and happy for him. He found his passion in serving his country.'' 
The passion to serve his country did not stop at the water's edge: 
Lieutenant Chastain noted that Ford wanted to be the gunner on an 
armored vehicle rather than the driver and said of Joey, ``He 
exemplified what a dedicated soldier is.'' This dedication is honored 
in his posthumous promotion from Specialist to Sergeant and the 
awarding of a Bronze Star.
  Great as his love of country was, he loved his family even more, in 
particular his parents, Dalarie and Sam, and his wife Karen. Married 
just last June, Joey had met the love of his life during his time at 
the University of Southern Indiana. His friend and fellow Guardsman, 
Keith Auspland, noted that his conversations with Joey during training 
and in Iraq generally ended not with concerns about the mission but 
rather with concern for his family. Ausland wrote in his tribute to 
Joey that ``Joe was a new husband and loved his wife dearly.'' Having 
deployed to Iraq in March, Joey had his goal of returning to Indiana in 
June to celebrate his anniversary with his wife.
  When his mother Dalarie was asked the one thing she would want her 
son remembered for she said, ``He was just so kind to everybody. At the 
memorial service, it was amazing just to see all the unique people who 
loved Joey. He never wrote off anyone and was friends with everybody: 
all shapes, sizes, and walks of life. He was a gentle soul.'' Today I 
honor and remember this gentle soul, this man who loved his wife and 
family, and followed his love of his country to service in a foreign 
land. Yet at the same time, I acknowledge our grief. He will be missed. 
May God bless Joey, his family, his fellow soldiers, and his country as 
we celebrate his life, and share in this collective sorrow.

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