[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8596]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING SPC. JACOB D. MARTIR'S SERVICE AND SACRIFICE

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2017

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, today, as we near Memorial Day, I rise to 
honor SPC. Jacob D. Martir, for his honorable service to our nation and 
his ultimate sacrifice during the early days of the Iraq War.
  Jacob was a native of eastern Connecticut, growing up in Willimantic 
and Norwich. A former student of Norwich Free Academy, he enlisted in 
the United States Army in 2000 at the age of 17. Joining the armed 
services was his lifelong dream. Nearing completion of his first tour 
in the Army, he reenlisted for four more years in 2002, despite the 
added risk of serving after 9/11.
  In March of 2004, Jacob deployed to Iraq with Alpha Troop, 2nd 
Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On August 18, 
2004, while patrolling in Sadr City, one of Baghdad's most violent 
neighborhoods throughout the war, Jacob was tragically killed by small 
arms fire. His sacrifice, coming four months after the tragic ``Black 
Sunday'' in which eight soldiers were killed in Sadr City, was part of 
a years-long effort to clear the area of Iraqi insurgents. He was 21 
years old and left behind a loving mother, Lydia Gutierrez, and five 
siblings. For his courageous service, Jacob was posthumously awarded 
the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, and he was buried with full military 
honors at Maplewood Cemetery in Norwich.
  Jacob's life is a reminder of the greatest American values. His call 
to serve was instinctive and unrelenting even through a time of great 
danger. At just twenty-one years old, he marched bravely into one of 
the most dangerous places in the world to defend and serve his nation 
and protect his fellow soldiers.
  I would ask my colleagues to join me in solemn remembrance of Jacob 
Martir and his family, and thanking them for Jacob's service to eastern 
Connecticut and our nation.

                          ____________________