[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16359]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DEREK FARLEY

  (Mr. MURPHY of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. MURPHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with the very sad 
duty of reporting the tragic passing of Army Staff Sergeant Derek 
Farley. Farley was killed in action Tuesday, August 17, in Afghanistan 
while disarming a roadside bomb. Farley was a member of the 702nd 
Ordnance Maintenance Company. His job as a bomb disposal technician was 
to diffuse bombs and IEDs to keep other soldiers and civilians safe.
  He graduated from Columbia High School in East Greenbush in 2004 and 
made up his mind to join the military at the age of 17, continuing his 
family's tradition of service to our Nation. His father served in the 
Vietnam era.
  In a previous tour in Iraq, where he served from 2006 to 2007 with 
the 756th EOD Company, Farley received a Purple Heart after losing his 
hearing in one ear during a bomb detonation.
  In a letter to his mother, Derek said the following: ``If something 
were to happen to me, just remember that I do the most dangerous job 
because it has the most rewarding payoff. . . . There would be no 
greater honor for me if it comes to it, but I keep fighting because 
there are thousands of mothers out there just like you who want to see 
their sons and daughters again.''
  My heart goes out to Derek's parents, Ken and Carrie; his brother, 
Dylan; sisters, Colleen, Theresa and Julie; and his beloved Maria.
  On behalf of a grateful Nation, our thoughts and prayers are with the 
entire Farley family during this difficult time.

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