[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5944]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING SEAN SMITH

  (Mr. VARGAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. VARGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Sean Smith, an 
information technology specialist killed in the September 11, 2012, 
terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. Sean was called ``one of our 
best'' at the State Department by former Secretary of State Hillary 
Clinton.
  Originally from San Diego, California, Sean enlisted in the Air Force 
in 1995. In 2002, he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal and 
joined the United States Foreign Service.
  President Barack Obama stated:

       Sean Smith lived to serve, first in the Air Force, then at 
     the State Department. He knew the perils of his calling. And 
     there in Benghazi, far from home, he laid down his life in 
     the service to all of us.

  Sean was also a loving husband and a proud father. He was devoted to 
his wife, Heather, and to his two children, Samantha and Nathan.
  Mrs. Smith said of her late husband:

       Sean supported the mission of diplomacy and served his 
     country with pride and optimism.

  I wish to offer my deepest condolences and the deepest condolences of 
this House to the Smith family. Please know that your family will 
continue to be in our prayers and our thoughts. And thank you and your 
late husband for your selfless service to our country. May God bless 
you.

                          ____________________