[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 15768-15769]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO U.S. ARMY SPECIALIST JARRETT GRIEMEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the State of Texas lost a warrior 
this month in the Forward Operating Base Gardez in Afghanistan, a 
remote and desolate place in the middle of the badlands in this war 
zone. Army Specialist Jarrett Griemel died on Wednesday, June 9, 2009, 
from injuries he suffered in Afghanistan. He was just 20 years of age.
  This is a photograph right here, Madam Speaker, of Specialist 
Griemel. Specialist Griemel is the 28th warrior to have died in Iraq or 
Afghanistan with connections to my Second Congressional District in 
Texas.

[[Page 15769]]

  Jarrett was a young man who personified the best qualities of the 
young people in America today. Born in San Angelo, Texas, and raised in 
La Porte, Texas, Jarrett was living the life he had always made plans 
to live, that being a life filled with the achievement and adventure 
that he desired.
  Jarrett was a patriot. He joined the Army his junior year in high 
school, and he had already completed basic training before graduating 
with honors from La Porte High School.
  He was a member of the swim team and the surf club, and he loved the 
outdoors and especially the beach and water sports. Jarrett spent his 
spare time parachuting and cliff diving. Jarrett lived his life to the 
fullest.
  In February of last year, Jarrett married his high school sweetheart, 
Candice, at a small ceremony in front of a justice of the peace. She 
joined him in Alaska, where he was deployed by the Army, to begin their 
young married lives together. Jarrett had a lifetime goal of eventually 
becoming a surgeon.
  Jarrett was an athletic young man with bright red hair and an 
infectious smile. His brother Chase says he and Jarrett were typical 
adventurous boys growing up. They spent time in the woods catching 
snakes and bugs. He wanted to travel, see the world and live a life of 
excitement and adventure. And Jarrett did just that.
  Jarrett was a petroleum supply specialist assigned to the 425th 
Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade combat Team (Airborne) of 
the 25th Infantry Division Battalion at Fort Richardson Alaska, home of 
the Arctic Warriors. The 3,500-soldier brigade is still in the midst of 
deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
  Madam Speaker, our American warriors live under the most grueling of 
conditions in Afghanistan. Jarrett's experience in the outdoors growing 
up would come in handy in the rugged and cursed terrain.
  Having been to Afghanistan myself, I have witnessed how the hot 
desert sun is unrelenting as our soldiers patrol the dusty, rocky 
mountains and deserts. The only real relief from the heat is the 
freezing cold night in the desert, one harsh extreme to another.
  Even in the ``desert of the sun and the valley of the gun,'' our 
troops are not deterred. The elements do not stop the best-trained, 
best-prepared, most-lethal military in the history of the world. The 
United States Army is on patrol in the mountains and cursed land of 
Afghanistan.
  Our brave men and women in uniform are unequaled anywhere in the 
world. They are an all-volunteer force. They are educated, motivated, 
but they are tenacious. They bleed red, white, and blue. They meet and 
exceed any task our country sends them to accomplish with great skill 
and with great pride. They are America's backbone. Our heroes. The best 
of our Nation. Our amazing examples of the youth of this country.
  Jarrett was a proud and accomplished soldier, and at just 20 years of 
age he was only 1 day from becoming a sergeant when he died in 
Afghanistan.
  Texas is proud to have called him a soldier, a son, and a hero. He 
will always be remembered by his family, his friends, and a grateful 
Nation for his service. His love of country, excellence in achievement, 
and love of his family will be forever engraved on the hearts of every 
life he touched.
  Jarrett's wife, Candice; his mother, Trena Dorsett, and her husband, 
Donnie, of La Porte, Texas; his father, Michael Griemel; his brothers, 
Chase, Jason, and Brandon; and his sister, Brianna, are all a living 
testimony to the memory of this one brave soldier's love of life, love 
of his country, and love of fellow citizens.
  Madam Speaker, it has been said without the brave efforts of all the 
soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and their families, this Nation 
would not stand so boldly, shine so brightly, or live so freely.
  Madam Speaker, Jarrett Griemel was one of those soldiers. He was an 
American soldier, the rare breed who take care of the rest of us, and 
we will forever be indebted to him, his life, and his service to our 
Nation.
  And that's just the way it is.

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