[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7511]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING ARMY RANGER SERGEANT JOSHUA P. RODGERS

  (Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one 
of our Nation's heroes.
  On April 27, Army Ranger Sergeant Joshua P. Rodgers of Bloomington, 
Illinois, was killed in action serving his third tour in Afghanistan.
  At age 22, Sergeant Rodgers had already earned the prestigious Ranger 
Tab, Parachutist Badge, Marksmanship Qualification Badge Expert-Rifle, 
and many others.
  Sergeant Rodgers leaves behind his parents, Kevin and Vonda; sisters, 
Emily and Hannah; brother, Ashton; and countless others whose lives 
have been forever changed by him.
  I never had the honor of meeting Sergeant Rodgers, but those who knew 
him best remember him as a warrior, tenacious, humble, determined, a 
true inspiration to everyone who knew him.
  We are forever grateful to Sergeant Rodgers and the men and women who 
put country above all else, a debt which we can never repay. It is 
because of Sergeant Rodgers and many like him that we live in the land 
of the free. It truly is because of the brave.
  On Saturday, Sergeant Rodgers will be laid to rest as his family and 
friends gather to celebrate his life, a life filled with patriotism, 
honor, and service. This House and his country will never forget 
Sergeant Rodgers' sacrifice.
  May God bless his family and the brothers and sisters he served 
alongside.

                          ____________________