[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10893-10894]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                  Second Lieutenant Joe L. Cunningham

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to a true American 
hero, Army 2LT Joe Cunningham of Kingston, OK who died on August 13, 
2011 serving our Nation in Laghman Province, Afghanistan. Lieutenant 
Cunningham was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st 
Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 
Army National Guard, Stillwater, OK.
  Joe enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2001 and joined the Army Reserves as 
a military policeman. He volunteered to deploy to Iraq in 2005 where he 
served as a team leader. After returning from Iraq, he served as a 
weapons instructor for deploying soldiers. In 2008, Joe switched to the 
Oklahoma National Guard, serving 18 months in the Air Guard before 
moving on to the Army Guard, where he was accepted to Officer Candidate 
School. In August 2010, Joe was commissioned as a second lieutenant and 
deployed in June 2011 to Afghanistan as the executive officer of B Co 
1/179 Infantry.
  Joe leaves behind his father Kirk Tucker, from Kingston, and siblings 
Tracy, Terri, Bethany, Ashton, Ricky and Taylor. He was preceded in 
death by his mother Dorothy Cunningham. He touched the lives of many as 
evidenced by comments written on his online guest book.

       ``I knew Joe he was an inspiration to the soldiers of Bco. 
     1/179 he always put soldiers first he is what a soldier 
     wanted to be professional thru and thru in the short time I 
     had to work with him he truly opened my eyes and changed my 
     views on things he was and always will be a great friend and 
     a soldier that will be greatly missed. God Bless Joe 
     Cunningham may god watch and protect you thru ``through'' the 
     gates of heaven you shall be missed.''
       ``You will be missed by all. It was pleasure and an honor 
     to have you as troop under my supervision while assigned to 
     the 138th Security Forces Squadron. RIP friend and brother.''

  Joe lived a life of love for his family, friends, and country. He 
enjoyed hunting, fishing and sports. Joe was a big Oklahoma Sooners fan 
and held season tickets for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He loved kids, 
and one of his greatest joys was spending time with Korlee Cunningham.
  Joe will be remembered for his commitment to and belief in the 
greatness of our Nation. I am honored to pay tribute to this true 
American hero who volunteered to go into the fight and made the 
ultimate sacrifice of his life for our freedom.


                       Sergeant Bret D. Isenhower

  Mr. President, I now wish to pay tribute to a true American hero, 
Army SGT Bret D. Isenhower of Lamar, OK, who died on September 9, 2011, 
serving our nation in Paktya Province, Afghanistan. Sergeant Isenhower 
was assigned to 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Battalion, 45th Infantry 
Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard.
  Sergeant Isenhower was killed by enemy small arms fire when his team 
was attacked while conducting combat operations in Zurmat District. He 
was 26 years old.
  Our prayers go out to those in his family he left behind: father 
Kevin Isenhower; mother Janet Dawsey; sisters Bridgette Hall and 
Krysten Isenhower; and nephew Jackson Hall.
  Bret graduated from Seminole High School in 2003 and then attended 
East Central University and was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha chapter. 
Determined to be a soldier, he joined the Oklahoma National Guard in 
2006 as an infantryman. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi 
Freedom for a yearlong deployment in 2007-08. He rose to the rank of 
sergeant and team leader.
  Bret actively looked for ways to serve his community and his fellow 
citizens. On one occasion, he and a friend were enroute to school to 
take a final and noticed a woman pulled over on the side of the road 
with a flat tire. Bret pulled the car over and helped change the tire 
without regard to the

[[Page 10894]]

time that it took. Needless to say, he missed his final exam, but 
didn't care because it was the ``right thing to do.'' Bret also served 
as a volunteer firefighter at the Seminole Fire Department and the 
Seminole County 911 dispatcher.
  Bret cared deeply for his family and would often let his 3-year-old 
nephew Jackson use him as a human jungle gym. He was full of kindness 
and yet very brave under fire.
  It is clearly evident how much this young man impacted his family, 
community and fellow citizens and soldiers by reading through some of 
the following quotes.
  Laura Rose, a former teacher at Seminole High said, ``Not only did he 
give the ultimate sacrifice for his country, but he was a good person 
too. Some students go on their way and you never see them again, but 
Bret would come and visit and let me know how he was doing.''
  Specialist Randen Allison credits Bret with saving his life in 
Afghanistan by reacting quickly and placing a tourniquet on his arm. 
When Specialist Allison thanked Bret for helping, Bret responded by 
saying, ``Don't worry about it. I'm just doing my job.''
  A warrior indeed, Bret died in the heat of a firefight. These tough 
fights took the life of Bret from us prematurely, but make no mistake; 
it is a fight we will win. We must continue our unwavering support for 
the men and women protecting our Nation and allies.
  I extend our deepest gratitude and condolences to Bret's family. He 
lived a life of love for his family, friends, and our country. He will 
be remembered for his commitment to and belief in the greatness of our 
Nation. I am honored to pay tribute to this true American hero who 
volunteered to go into the fight and made the ultimate sacrifice of his 
life for our freedom.


                    First Lieutenant Damon T. Leehan

  Mr. President, I also pay tribute to a true American hero, Army 1LT 
Damon T. Leehan of Moore, OK, who died on August 14, 2011 serving our 
Nation in Laghman Province, Afghanistan. Lieutenant Leehan was assigned 
to A Company, 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry 
Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard.
  Lieutenant Leehan died of injuries sustained when the vehicle in 
which he was riding was attacked with an improvised explosive device in 
the Alingar District while conducting combat operations. He was 30 
years old.
  Damon graduated from Edmond High School and enlisted in the Oklahoma 
National Guard in 1998 at the age of 17. He had previously deployed to 
Afghanistan in 2003 as a combat medic. In 2008, he successfully 
completed Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a second 
lieutenant.
  In his civilian role, Damon served his community as an Xray 
technician since 2001 at the Integris Southwest Medical Center in 
Oklahoma City.
  Damon consistently impressed and touched the lives of those around 
him. This is evident by reading through some quotes.
  Ashely Hale, his supervisor at the hospital said, ``He was a hard-
working, outgoing, well-known, well-liked co-worker . . . he had many 
friends here.''
  Major General Myles Deering, the Adjutant General of Oklahoma said, 
``LT Leehan served his nation and our state with great honor and 
distinction for more than a decade. His sacrifice will never be 
forgotten.''
  Wendy Deatsch, of Edmond said, ``I was one of his high school 
teachers. He was one of my very favorite students. He always had a 
smile on his face and had a saying that always put one on mine. He 
would say, `Miss Wilks, turn that frown upside down!' It always 
worked!''
  Curtis Meloy, of Cushing said, ``Damon was a great soldier, and a 
better man. I am truly better for having known him.''
  Members of Damon's platoon posted, ``LT, we miss you and you were a 
true friend and leader. Our platoon will never be the same without you! 
Your leadership will be missed.''
  I extend our deepest gratitude and condolences to Damon's family and 
friends. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those in his family he left 
behind: his wife Audrey, children, Emma and Ethan, father Dennis, and 
mother Marina Blevins.
  Damon lived a life of love for his wife and two children, family, 
friends, and country. He will be remembered for his commitment to and 
belief in the greatness of our Nation. I am honored to pay tribute to 
this true American hero who volunteered to go into the fight and made 
the ultimate sacrifice for our protection and freedom.


                 Private First Class Tony J. Potter Jr.

  Mr. President, I pay tribute to a true American hero, Army PFC Tony 
J. ``TJ'' Potter Jr. of Okmulgee, OK, who died on September 9, 2011, 
serving our Nation in Paktya Province, Afghanistan. Private First Class 
Potter was assigned to 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Battalion, 45th 
Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard.
  TJ was killed by enemy small arms fire when his team was attacked 
while conducting combat operations in Zurmat District. He was 20 years 
old.
  Born 3 months early, TJ wasn't the biggest kid growing up, but he 
more than compensated for it in drive and enthusiasm. TJ graduated from 
Okmulgee High School in 2010 after leading his football team to a state 
championship. Determined to be a soldier and join the Oklahoma National 
Guard, even over his parents' reservations, TJ enlisted as an 
infantryman prior to graduation in April 2010.
  In such a short time on this earth, TJ had an incredible impact on 
his family, his community and his brothers in arms.
  TJ's friend Samuel Trout said, ``Everybody knew him, everybody got 
along with him, you could talk to him.''
  Fellow co-worker Jon Skinner said, ``He was always a great guy, he 
was always a hard worker, down to earth, great guy to kick it with.''
  Fellow high school student Earnest Woodruff said, ``He tried to help 
everybody at practice. He always wanted us to run harder so we would do 
better when we went out to the games. He was always going 100 percent. 
I just know that he's going to be in a better place.''
  Football coach Shane Page said TJ could do anything that he put his 
mind to and ``Just every day we have to be thankful for the fact that 
we do have the soldiers out there fighting to protect us and 
everything. I mean it's an honor to know that he was a part of that but 
it's a very, very sad day.''
  His mother, Yvonne said, ``He was the rock of our family. He held 
everything together.'' His father, Tony Sr. added, ``If he felt we were 
drifting apart, he would bring us back together. He was our glue. You 
could always count on him for everything.''
  TJ lived a life of love for his family, friends, and our country. I 
extend our deepest gratitude and condolences to TJ's family, his wife 
and high school sweetheart Emily, his son Tony James `TJ' Potter who 
was born after his death, and parents Tony and Yvonne Potter. He will 
be remembered for his commitment to and belief in the greatness of our 
Nation. I am honored to pay tribute to this true American hero who 
volunteered to go into the fight and made the ultimate sacrifice of his 
life for our freedom.

                          ____________________