[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11563-11564]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                       Specialist Kevin J. Graham

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life of one 
soldier from Kentucky who gave his life in service to our country. SPC 
Kevin J. Graham of Benton, KY, was killed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on 
September 26, 2009, when the enemy attacked his vehicle with an IED. He 
was 27 years old.
  For his service in uniform, Specialist Graham received many medals, 
awards, and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple 
Heart, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the 
National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 
Bronze Service Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the 
Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the 
Expert Marksmanship Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, and the 
Army Service Ribbon.
  Soldiering was not simply a vocation to Specialist Graham; it was a 
way of life and it was a calling. From a young age, friends and family 
recall his strong desire to become a soldier.
  ``Before he went into the Army, he would see guys in uniform and say 
he needed to be doing something like that,'' says the Reverend Jonathan 
Goodman, Kevin's pastor from Benton's Calvary Baptist Church. ``He felt 
like it was his life's work, and he was honored to serve his country.''
  Kevin was born in 1982 in Illinois and raised in Wisconsin. He moved 
with his parents to Marshall County, KY, about 5 years before his 
death. As a child Kevin received his education through Christian 
Liberty Academy as a homeschooler. He was a member of Paddock Lake 
Baptist Church in Wisconsin, where he was involved with the youth group 
and assisted the youth pastor.
  As a young boy Kevin and his best friend used to dress up in Army 
fatigues and patrol the neighborhood. Neighbors would say they felt 
safe because they knew someone was watching out for them. Kevin's 
interest in the military also included a love of military history. He 
would read endlessly about the Civil War and World War II and talk 
often with his father, grandfather, and others who had served about 
their experiences. Kevin collected memorabilia from different 
conflicts, including some given to him by veterans. His interest in 
military aviation led him to spend his summers at an airfield in 
Kenosha, WI, to see hundreds of World War II planes gather in 
formation.
  Kevin also learned to shoot at an early age. By the time he was 16, 
he had earned a job overseeing the skeet range at the local shooting 
facility. He earned many badges for his marksmanship, including one for 
hitting his target 73 out of 75 times.
  Kevin also had a love for old cars. He bought a 1965 Pontiac Le Mans 
and rebuilt it from the ground up. He attended countless car shows and 
won several trophies.
  In July 2007 Kevin fulfilled a lifelong goal and honored the service 
of his father Daniel, who earned a Purple Heart for his service in 
Vietnam, by enlisting in the U.S. Army. He completed basic training 
that November.
  One of Kevin's closest friends, Tristan Miller, joined the Army 
within months of Kevin. Kevin ``was enlisting in a time of war and he 
chose to enlist as an infantryman,'' Tristan recalls. ``Kevin knew what 
he was going into. This was something he volunteered to do. Kevin knew 
something was wrong out there, and he was going to take a stand about 
it.''
  Kevin was later based at Fort Lewis, WA, where he met the woman who 
would become his wife, Krystal, in the fall of 2008. On March 22, 2009, 
they were married, just a few days before Kevin's 27th birthday. Kevin 
also grew very close to Krystal's son Brian and enjoyed spending time 
as a dad.
  Then, in July, Kevin was deployed to Afghanistan--his first 
deployment. He deployed as part of 4th Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st 
Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat

[[Page 11564]]

Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based out of Fort Lewis. He was promoted 
to specialist and assigned to be a mortar carrier driver, a 
responsibility given to those soldiers among the best able to remain 
calm in the face of a crisis. No doubt Kevin's lifetime of preparation, 
going back to his boyhood neighborhood patrols, served him well for his 
greatest and final role.
  ``It was an honor to be his parents,'' says Sandra Graham, Kevin's 
mother. ``Truly an honor.''
  We are thinking of Kevin's family and friends today, including his 
wife Krystal, his stepson Brian, his mother Sandra, his brothers 
Daniel, Sean, and Scott, and many other beloved family members and 
friends. Kevin's father, Daniel Graham, a hero in his own right, has 
sadly passed on.
  Mr. President, I know my U.S. Senate colleagues join me in expressing 
our deepest condolences to the family of SPC Kevin J. Graham and great 
gratitude for his life of honorable service and his enormous sacrifice 
in uniform. Without heroes like Specialist Graham, our country could 
not be free. I hope it is some small measure of comfort to his family 
that the life of Specialist Graham has been remembered and 
appropriately honored here in the U.S. Senate.
  Those of us in this body must never forget the men and women such as 
Specialist Graham who built the foundation upon which our democracy 
stands.

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