[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 23706]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                      Specialist Paul E. Andersen

  Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the 
life of SPC Paul E. Andersen from South Bend, IN. Paul was 49 years old 
when he lost his life on October 1, 2009, due to injuries sustained 
from indirect fire in Baghdad, Iraq. He was a member of the 855th 
Quartermaster Company, U.S. Army Reserve, South Bend.
  Today, I join Paul's family and friends in mourning his death. He 
will forever be remembered as a loving husband, father, and friend to 
many. Paul is survived by his wife Linda, children, grandchildren, and 
extended family.
  Paul joined the Army in 1984. In November of 2008, he began his 
second tour in Iraq. Paul was a Michiana native who grew up in Elkhart 
and graduated from Buchanan High School in 1979. For the past 8 years 
he was living and working in South Bend. He loved his wife Linda deeply 
and returned home on leave this past August to celebrate their fifth 
wedding anniversary. Family members say he lived to be in the service 
and loved military life. Though he was scheduled to return from Iraq in 
early November, Paul had expressed a strong desire to stay in Iraq for 
another year. Just prior to his death, he had reenlisted for the next 6 
years. His family takes comfort in the idea that he died doing what he 
loved most.
  While we struggle to express our sorrow over this loss, we can take 
pride in the example Paul set as a soldier, father, and grandfather. 
Today and always, he will be remembered by family, friends and fellow 
Hoosiers as a true American hero, and we cherish the legacy of his 
service and his life.
  It is my sad duty to enter the name of Paul E. Andersen in the 
official Record of the U.S. Senate for his service to this country and 
for his profound commitment to freedom, democracy, and peace. I pray 
that Paul's family can find comfort in the words of the prophet Isaiah, 
who said, ``He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will 
wipe away tears from off all faces.''
  May God grant strength and peace to those who mourn, and may God be 
with all of you, as I know He is with Paul.

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