[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8550]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING PRIVATE JEREMY FAULKNER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania). The Chair 
recognizes the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor this morning with 
sadness but with great pride to honor one of Georgia's proud sons who 
gave his life, the ultimate sacrifice, on March 29 in Kunar province, 
Afghanistan, in support of operation Enduring Freedom.
  Private Jeremy Faulkner was a man known for having a huge heart and 
always sticking up for the underdog. Jeremy grew up in Stockbridge, 
Georgia, and joined the Army after attending Griffin High School. This 
is a time in life when many young men struggle with their future, but 
Private Faulkner answered the call and chose a life of service in the 
United States Army to make a difference in the world and to keep our 
Nation safe.
  He gave up his red Dodge Ram for a new kind of vehicle with the U.S. 
Army 101st Airborne and learned a whole new meaning of the word 
``mudding'' at basic training. Private Faulkner had already earned a 
combat ribbon, was an expert marksman, and had discussed with his 
mother, Judy, the possibility of making a career out of military 
service.
  Private Faulkner was in his 11th month of deployment and days away 
from promotion to Private First Class when his unit was ambushed. Just 
a few short weeks before his anticipated return home, he had expressed 
a desire to join the Wings in the Wind Christian ministry upon his 
return as a way to share his testament from the seat of a motorcycle.
  In perhaps a prophetic phone call to his stepfather, Private Faulkner 
mentioned to his stepfather, Tony Berry, his request that if anything 
should happen to him that the Wings in the Wind and Patriot Guard 
Riders would be present at his procession. No one expected just how 
soon that procession would be needed.
  Through three counties, crowds of strangers lined the streets 
escorting Private Faulkner home as a testament to the community's 
support of Jeremy and his family. As Jeremy requested, the Wings in the 
Wind and Patriot Guard Riders roared to accompany dozens of police and 
fire department vehicles in an inspiring procession fit for such a 
young hero.
  As former Rhodes scholar Elmer Davis put it so simply, ``The Nation 
will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the 
brave.''
  Our Nation owes Private Jeremy Faulkner a debt of gratitude for his 
bravery, and I am proud to stand here and thank him for sacrificing his 
life for strangers like me and my family as well as the rest of the 
United States of America.
  So to Jeremy's family and especially to Jeremy, thank you.

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