[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 22364]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                         Sergeant William Cahir

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise to honor the exceptional life 
and service of SGT William Cahir of Alexandria, VA, who died last month 
while serving with the Fourth Civil Affairs Group in Afghanistan's 
Helmand Province. Sergeant Cahir was a patriot, wholly committed to the 
values and principles of the United States. We will remember Bill Cahir 
for his courage, his generosity of spirit, and his commitment to the 
very best ideals of this country.
  In the last 8 years since 9/11, our homeland has not been attacked. 
For this, we owe deep gratitude to brave men and women like Sergeant 
Bill Cahir who made the heroic commitment to defend our liberty and 
security. In the aftermath of the horrific attacks of September 11, 
2001, Sgt. Cahir left his job as a journalist and enlisted in the U.S. 
Marine Corps Reserves. At 34 years old, he was certainly not the 
youngest reserve officer, but he ranked among the most skilled and 
effective. I would like to include in the record a tribute to Sergeant 
Cahir written by Dan Gerstein who worked with me here in the Senate for 
years; Dan's piece eloquently captures the tremendous service, 
character, and spirit of Bill Cahir.
  By all accounts, Sergeant Bill Cahir was a talented and loyal member 
of the Marine Corps. His fellow marines remember him as a man who would 
have risked his life for anyone on their team and did on countless 
occasions. His positive attitude and commitment to the challenging job 
at hand inspired his colleagues, even in the most difficult of 
circumstances. Bill Cahir was, without question, a force for good in 
the country that he loved.
  Sergeant Cahir served two tours in Iraq during some of the most 
challenging periods of the war for U.S. forces. He was one among those 
brave men and women who took part in the ``surge'' strategy in Anbar 
Province in 2007. It was the courage and skill of marines like Sergeant 
Cahir that helped transform the security situation in Iraq and put the 
U.S. mission there on the track toward success.
  Each day, countless Americans offer their service so that we might 
enjoy freedom and security. It is our duty to remain dedicated to the 
causes for which men and women like Sergeant Cahir have given their 
last full measure of devotion--the cause of freedom, the cause of 
security, and the cause of victory in our necessary war against terror.
  We have lost a true patriot and a great American, but his life and 
service will never fade from our memory. My condolences and prayers are 
with Sergeant Cahir's wife, Rene Browne, and the entire Cahir family.

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