[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17738]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               IN RECOGNITION OF SERGEANT BRIAN J. NELSON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 18, 2012

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Marine Corps 
Master Sergeant Brian J. Nelson as he is presented with the Purple 
Heart on December 19, 2012 in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
  The Purple Heart, a military decoration awarded by the President, is 
reserved for members of the Armed Forces who have been injured by an 
instrument of war in the hands of the enemy. It is one of the highest 
honors that our servicemen and women may receive. Sergeant Nelson was 
wounded by an improvised explosive device in Anbar Province, Iraq, on 
September 30, 2006. He was in the middle of serving his second tour of 
duty in Iraq at that time. However, this did not stop Sergeant Nelson 
from returning to active duty, as he deployed a third time to 
Afghanistan following his recovery. Sergeant Nelson's heroism and 
commitment to serving our country is truly remarkable, and throughout 
his military career he has served as an embodiment of real patriotism.
  Sergeant Nelson is a native of Cape Cod, having grown up in Falmouth. 
Before graduating from Falmouth High School, he was selected to be 
captain of the both the school's cross country and track teams. He then 
received a bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire in 
chemical engineering, an accomplishment that would later assist him 
during his tenure in the Armed Forces. For nearly a decade, Sergeant 
Nelson spent his summers as a lifeguard on the beaches of Falmouth and 
Dennis before enlisting in the Marine Corps in November of 2003. Two 
years later, he deployed from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for combat 
operations in Anbar Province, Iraq, and returned to that region the 
following year. After recovering from the injuries he sustained in 2006 
and his promotion to Sergeant, he deployed for a third time from Camp 
Pendleton, California, to Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Here, 
Sergeant Nelson worked as a civil affairs development officer and as 
the coordinator in the experimental Poppyseed Biofuel Program. Since 
his return to the United States, Sergeant Nelson has been serving in 
the Marine Corps Combat Water Survival Instructor Course in Quantico, 
Virginia.
  Sergeant Nelson has earned much recognition for his service to his 
country. In addition to the Purple Heart, Sergeant Nelson has also 
received three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and the Combat 
Action Ribbon, and he has been selected to attend the Assessment and 
Selection Indoctrination Course for the Marine Corps Special Operations 
Command this January. Such accolades are truly fitting for a member of 
our Armed Services who has always shown the highest level of dedication 
to his country.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing Marine Corps Master 
Sergeant Brian J. Nelson as he is awarded the Purple Heart. I thank my 
colleagues for joining me in recognition of this distinguished member 
of our Armed Services.

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