[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11198]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING ARMY SERGEANT ZEKE CROZIER

  (Mr. YODER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. YODER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank a truly remarkable 
American--a Kansan--who came within inches of giving his life in the 
service of his country, but who has made an unthinkable yet not 
unbelievable recovery.
  I first met Spring Hill native Army Sergeant Zeke Crozier 2 years 
ago. He was with the 158th Aviation Regiment out of Gardner, Kansas, 
and he was set to deploy to Afghanistan. After being in Afghanistan for 
only 41 days, the Chinook helicopter Sergeant Crozier was flying in 
crashed violently, and he suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.
  Defying all odds, Sergeant Crozier has made a miraculous recovery, 
and even walked into my district office in Overland Park, Kansas, 
yesterday. Sergeant Crozier's recovery efforts are inspirational. They 
are also a reminder that we must always keep our commitment to our 
Nation's veterans. There are over 530,000 veterans benefit cases on 
backlog at the VA. This is unacceptable to me and to the men and women 
willing to serve our country bravely and honorably, especially those 
that now need our help in return.
  To Sergeant Crozier and to all those who have served, a grateful 
Nation thanks you for your sacrifice.

                          ____________________