[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13437]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNITION FOR HISTORICAL SOLDIERS' RELOCATION PROJECT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2009

  Ms. GIFFORDS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to reaffirm a sacred 
principle that has guided and inspired our Armed Forces for more than 
two centuries. That principle-- ``leave no man behind''--was given new 
meaning in Southeastern Arizona on May 15 and 16, 2009.
  On those dates, 58 American soldiers who died while serving their 
country were reburied in an emotional ceremony. The flag-draped caskets 
holding the remains of these soldiers were carefully transported from 
Tucson to their final resting place at the veterans cemetery in Sierra 
Vista.
  What made this ceremony so poignant was not the journey from one 
Arizona city to another. This reburial also was a journey through time. 
These men who once wore the military uniform of our country died 
between the 1860s and 1880s. Their remains, as well as the remains of 
four civilians, were unearthed during an excavation project in downtown 
Tucson.
  My hometown has undergone many changes since the late 19th century. 
Then, Arizona was decades away from becoming a state and our military 
was nothing like the global fighting force it is today. Yet then and 
now we adhere to the principle that no soldier who died for his country 
should be left behind. This principle--like the Constitution these 
soldiers fought to defend--transcends eras and endures through the 
ages.
  The reaffirmation of this principle would not have been possible 
without the men and women of the Historical Soldiers' Relocation 
Project who dedicated their time and energy to make sure our soldiers 
were given an honorable and dignified burial. These patriotic citizens 
worked tirelessly to organize a ceremony that would reflect the 
significance of the occasion. No detail was overlooked, from the 
Victorian style cemetery to the marble headstones made for each of the 
deceased. The flag covering each casket was the thirty-five star flag--
the flag under which these soldiers once served.
  The remains of the soldiers were given every honor we should give all 
who have served our nation in the Armed Forces. The soldiers were 
placed among the other honored dead of our military after being 
escorted by more than 200 veterans on motorcycles from Tucson to their 
new resting place at the Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery. I 
was honored to be a part of this escort.
  All of this would not have been possible without the commitment of 
the members of the Historical Soldiers' Relocation Project. They are: 
Joey Strickland, Joe Larson, Bob Strain, Larry McKim, Ingrid Ballie, 
Tom Dingwall, Earl Devine, Col. Bob White, Dr. Randy Groth, Dan 
Ferguson, Donald Nelson, Paul Weishaupt, Angela Moncur, Bill Hess, Ty 
Holland, Mike Rutherford, John Clabourne, Lynn Roehsler, Dave Schultz, 
Jan Groth, Joe Smith, Phil Vega, Stephen Siemsen, Clarence ``Shorty'' 
Larson, Timothy J. Quinn, Jim Bellomy, Jacob Loveron, Jeremiah Sprat, 
Logan Daynes, 1st Sgt. Matthew A. Putnam, LCDR Shannon Willits, SSGT 
Timothy Diggs, David Schreiner, John Prokop, Roger Anyon, Marlessa Gray 
M.A. RPA, Dorothy Ohman, Jim De Castro.
  I commend them for their work on this important project and for 
ensuring we rightfully honor all those who have put on the uniform to 
serve our country.

                          ____________________