[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2711]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF FALLEN MISSISSIPPI SOLDIER ARMY SERGEANT (SGT) 
                            JOSEPH A. RAHAIM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TRENT KELLY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 15, 2017

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of 
fallen Mississippi soldier Army Sergeant (SGT) Joseph Andrew ``Drew'' 
Rahaim who gave his life while in service to our great nation February 
16, 2005, during Operation Iraqi Freedom III. SGT Rahaim lost his life 
when a roadway collapsed and his vehicle rolled into a canal at Forward 
Operation Base Iskandariyah, Iraq. SGT Timothy R. Osbey was also killed 
in the accident.
  SGT Rahaim was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment 
(Mechanized), Mississippi Army National Guard, McComb, MS.
  Major General (MG) Harold Cross, Adjutant General of Mississippi, 
posthumously presented SGT Rahaim the Bronze Star Medal and the 
Mississippi Medal of Valor. During the funeral for the 22-year-old 
Magnolia, MS native, MG Cross described the medals as two of the 
nation's highest awards.
  SGT Rahaim was remembered by many as a great storyteller. Soldiers 
from his unit said their guardian angel will probably be listening to 
his tall tales in heaven. Rev. Phil McMinn of the Brookwood Baptist 
Church in Lawrenceville delivered his eulogy. He said SGT Rahaim was 
destined to be a soldier from childhood, and that when Drew was a young 
boy, he kept his GI Joe toy close by.
  SGT Rahaim will be remembered for his sacrifice and for demonstrating 
the qualities of a great soldier and American.

                          ____________________