[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18991]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                ARMY PRIVATE FIRST CLASS CODY R. NORRIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Olson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. OLSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Army Private 
First Class Cody R. Norris, who was killed on November 9 during combat 
operations in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
  Cody was a proud Bulldog, a 2010 graduate of La Porte High School in 
La Porte, Texas. He was in Junior ROTC, a member of the Color Guard and 
the Rifle Team. He was also a member of the Military Museum.
  Cody deployed to Afghanistan while he was assigned to Alpha Company, 
2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division--the Army's 
oldest division, the ``Big Red One''--in Fort Riley, Kansas.
  He was a typical American teenager. He enjoyed working on his 1952 
M37 Army truck that he drove to and from school. He was a Texan who 
enjoyed paintball, deer hunting, playing video games, and yes, hibachi 
food.
  Cody's lifelong dream was to join the Army. His time in Junior ROTC 
in high school motivated him to enlist in the Army to serve his 
country.
  He always put others before himself and did so with a smile on his 
face and a kind word for those around him. He had a gift for winning 
people over with his caring personality and always managed to cheer up 
those around him.
  Cody's mother said that he lived life on his terms and always did 
what he believed was right, regardless of trends or what other people 
thought. He was well liked by his platoon mates and gained the 
admiration of others by constantly carrying more than his fair share. 
According to his brother Michael, now a cadet at West Point, in Cody's 
last battle, when his platoon was attacked, he was carrying extra 
ammunition. When he was killed, that extra ammunition ultimately helped 
save his fellow soldiers, his friends.
  I never had the honor to know Cody Norris personally, but I stand 
here today humbled by the fact that he and the hundreds of thousands of 
American troops serving in our Armed Forces are willing to sacrifice so 
much so that we may sleep peacefully under the blanket of freedom that 
they provide.
  As a former naval aviator, I know all too well the sacrifices 
families make to support their loved ones who serve in harm's way. Cody 
Norris and his family, and the thousands of other families who have 
lost loved ones in the defense of our country, have paid the ultimate 
price for our freedom. For them, in many ways, the war never ends.
  America can never repay the debt we owe to Cody Norris and his 
family, but we can honor his family and his eternal contributions to 
our liberty. Madam Speaker, Cody Norris is a true American hero, and a 
grateful Nation says thank you.

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