[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13651]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO LANCE CPL. TRAVIS MICHAEL NELSON

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                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 14, 2011

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Lance Cpl. Travis 
Michael Nelson who recently lost his life in the service of his 
country. We will always be indebted to his sacrifice for our freedom 
and we join his family and many friends in mourning his loss.
  Lance Cpl. Nelson was assigned as a rifleman with the 1st Battalion, 
6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division from Camp Lejeune, North 
Carolina. He lost his life during combat operations in Helmand 
Province, Afghanistan on August 18, 2011, one month after his unit's 
arrival.
  He was a dedicated Marine who loved his country and loved the Marine 
Corps. He always wanted to be a Marine and beginning at the age of 14 
he devoted his youth to preparing for his eventual role as a defender 
of America. Prior to his active duty service, he was a member of the 
Young Marines of Pensacola, Florida and the Pace High School Naval 
Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program.
  A native of Pace, and a resident of Bratt, Lance Cpl. Nelson, also 
had relatives in the nearby South Alabama towns of Atmore, Brewton, 
East Brewton and Daphne.
  On behalf of the people of Alabama, I wish to extend condolences to 
his parents, Scott and Beckie Nelson; his brother, Daniel Nelson; his 
half brother, Chandler Case; sisters, Jenna Nelson, and Anna Nelson; 
and grandmothers, Anna Sanspree and Louise Nelson; as well as his 
fiance, Madeline Cates.
  You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to add to this tribute the words of Sherry 
Digmon, publisher of Atmore magazine made in honor of Lance Cpl. 
Nelson.
  ``In tragedy, we come together. Atmore and the surrounding area came 
together in August as we all mourned the death of Marine Lance Cpl. 
Travis Nelson who was killed while on duty in Afghanistan. He was 19.
  Most of us didn't know LCpl. Nelson, but we all knew him. His was the 
face of the young man who always wanted to be a Marine, who loved the 
flag and country, and who enlisted to preserve our freedoms.
  On Friday, August 26, as we waited for the funeral procession to make 
its way down Main Street from the First Baptist Church to Oak Hill 
Cemetery, we looked at the people around us, almost all holding flags--
the veterans lined up on the sidewalk in front of the American Legion 
building; the kids and the older folks; people who came out of their 
businesses and stood in the mid afternoon sun.
  The Patriot Guard Riders came to Atmore to accompany the body of 
LCpl. Nelson and his family from Petty Eastside Chapel Funeral Home to 
First Baptist Church, then from the church to Oak Hill Cemetery. My hat 
is off to this fine group of men and women on motorcycles who show 
their respect to the fallen soldier by honoring and protecting the 
sanctity of his funeral and burial.
  Someone in our group said, ``That's America.'' We agreed. And then I 
said, ``That's Atmore.''
  This was one event I hope never to witness again--the funeral of a 
young soldier. I hope never again to think about how a mama feels when 
she sees the officers standing at her front door. How a fiancee feels 
when she finds out her intended has been killed. How the men in his 
unit felt when they heard he didn't make it.''

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