[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6216]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF FALLEN SOLDIER ARMY CAPTAIN (CPT) STEPHEN W. 
                                 FRANK

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. TRENT KELLY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 28, 2017

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of 
fallen soldier Army Captain (CPT) Stephen W. Frank who paid the 
ultimate sacrifice while defending our nation on April 29, 2005, during 
Operation Iraqi Freedom III. CPT Frank was killed when a vehicle-borne 
improvised explosive device detonated as he was conducting a traffic-
control-point inspection in Diyarah, Iraq. Also killed was Captain 
Ralph J. Harting, III. They were among an estimated 50 people to die 
that day in bombings carried out by insurgents trying to disrupt Iraq's 
newly formed government.
  CPT Frank was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry 
Regiment, Fort Irwin, California, which was attached to the 155th 
Brigade Combat Team (BCT) from Mississippi. CPT Frank was born in 
Lyndhurst, Ohio and then raised in Lansing, Michigan. He graduated from 
Haslett High School. CPT Frank earned a geography degree from the U.S. 
Military Academy in West Point, NY. CPT Frank and CPT Harting, a 
Michigan native, were college classmates.
  Shortly after learning of their son's death, CPT Frank's parents, 
Bill and Sue Frank, invited the Hartings to their home to trade stories 
and photos of their sons.
  ``We talked about how we wished it was us to go first,'' Sue Frank 
told the Detroit Free Press. ``We were glad that the boys were not 
alone when they died. It was a comforting conversation, and we had an 
immediate bonding over the most tragic thing that could happen in your 
life. It's good to know that the Hartings are only two miles away.''
  A memorial service was held at Fort Irwin, California, where both men 
were based. CPT Frank and CPT Harting were buried in a May 14 ceremony 
at West Point.
  CPT Frank's survivors included his wife, Laurel, a 2-year-old son, 
and his parents, Bill and Sue Frank.
  The sacrifice of these brave soldiers will always be remembered.

                          ____________________