[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6699-6700]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                      Sergeant Tristan Mykal Wade

  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize and honor the 
extraordinary service and ultimate sacrifice of SGT Tristan Mykal Wade, 
of Indianapolis, IN. Sergeant Wade was serving in the U.S. Army, 
assigned to the 573rd Clearance Company at White Sands Missile Range in 
Afghanistan. He was serving a 9-month deployment and his unit was 
scheduled to return to White Sands in April.
  On Friday, March 22, while serving in Qarah Bagh District, Ghazni 
Province, Afghanistan, enemy forces attacked Sergeant Wade's unit with 
an improvised explosive device and he was killed. Command Sgt. Major 
Joe Medlin of Rock Hill, the ranking enlisted man for the task force, 
stated Sergeant Wade was:

       An outstanding soldier and a true hero. He will certainly 
     be missed by his unit and all of us in Task Force Prowler.

  White Sands Missile Range Commander BG Gen. Gwen Bingham said:

       We thank him for his outstanding service and sacrifice. We 
     will never forget him. Our brave men and women perform a 
     multitude of missions in a magnanimous way in Afghanistan and 
     all places around the globe. They do so selflessly without 
     any expectation of anything in return.

  Certainly, Sergeant Wade is a shining example of this selflessness 
and patriotism.
  An Indianapolis native, Sergeant Wade attended three different high 
schools while a freshman. He enrolled at Southport High School at the 
beginning of his sophomore year and joined the football program, which 
had endured a 10-year plus stretch of losing seasons. Head football 
coach Bill Peebles remembered Tristan as a cocky young kid who wanted 
to catch touchdown passes and become a Friday-night star. Although 
Coach Peebles didn't expect much from Wade, Tristan represented the 
epitome of the program's goal--exceling in the classroom, in

[[Page 6700]]

training and on the field. Over the following 3 years, Coach Peebles 
watched Tristan grow into a leader who helped turn the football program 
into a winning program. ``He went from wanting to be a Friday-night 
hero as a skinny sophomore, to being a Friday-night hero.'' Peebles 
said. Sergeant Wade graduated from Southport High School in 2009.
  He carried into the Army his enthusiasm for sports where he was a 
member of the Army volleyball team. Friends and family remember how he 
enjoyed practical jokes and dancing. But most important to Sergeant 
Wade was his precious daughter Skylynn of whom he wrote, ``She is my 
world and I'll truly miss her while in Afghanistan.''
  While still in high school, Tristan volunteered for the U.S. Army, 
following in the footsteps of his father SGT Daniel L. Wade who had 
been to Afghanistan in 2004, and his uncles. He knew he would likely be 
deployed to active combat zones, but as he was known to do all his 
life, he demonstrated courage and conviction. ``No matter how scared he 
was, he never showed it,'' his mother Tisa Wade said.
  Sergeant Wade was respected and appreciated by his fellow soldiers 
for his professionalism as well as his personal qualities. As LTC Andre 
Balyoz pointed out in his eulogy, Sergeant Wade was:

       A natural leader, the type who took charge and made things 
     happen. He always took care of and protected his Soldiers.

  And although the gravity of his mission was always with him, 
Lieutenant Colonel Balyoz said that:

       Tristan was someone who was always happy, always in a good 
     mood and he could very quickly cheer up those around him. His 
     positive attitude was certainly contagious.

  Prior to his service in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, 
Sergeant Wade served in Iraq. During those deployments he earned the 
Army Commendation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraqi Army 
Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Action Badge. On April 6, 2013, 
Sergeant Wade's family was presented the Bronze Star and Purple Heart 
in honor of the supreme sacrifice he made for his fellow Americans and 
the United States.
  Sergeant Wade is survived and mourned by his wife, Alisha Morales of 
Las Cruces, NM, his mother Tisa Wade and father Daniel Wade, Jr., both 
of Indianapolis, and his daughter Skylynn Marie Wade. In addition, he 
is survived by his brothers Cory Alan Lee, Zachary Daniel Wade and his 
fiance Victoria Lloyd; his niece Molly Diane Wade; maternal grandmother 
Denise Webb; maternal grandfather, Gerald Lee, Sr.; paternal 
grandmother Betsy Brown and her husband Tommy Brown; paternal 
grandfather, Daniel Lee Wade, Sr., and his wife Linda as well as 
several aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends. He was preceded in 
death by his brother Adrian David Wade.
  Sergeant Tristan Mykal Wade is a quintessential Hoosier, and true 
American hero. Let us always remember and treasure the memory of this 
stalwart, brave man and honor him for protecting our treasured country. 
May God welcome him home and give comfort to his family and friends. 
Thank you.

                          ____________________