[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8611]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF FALLEN SOLDIER ARMY SERGEANT (SGT) MARK ALLEN 
                                 MAIDA

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. TRENT KELLY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 26, 2017

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of 
fallen soldier Army Sergeant (SGT) Mark Allen Maida who paid the 
ultimate sacrifice while defending our nation on May 27, 2005, during 
Operation Iraqi Freedom. SGT Maida died of wounds he suffered when an 
improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Diyarah, 
Iraq.
  SGT Maida was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry 
Regiment, attached to Mississippi's 155th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd 
Marine Expeditionary Force, Fort Irwin, California. SGT Maid chose to 
join the Army shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. 
He joined the Army on October 31, 2001, and was assigned to Fort Irwin, 
California, where he assisted in training soldiers in preparation for 
deployment to Iraq. Fallen Heroes Project writes that SGT Maida was 
originally scheduled for discharge in October of 2004, and he was 
planning to attend Madison Area Technical College. Instead, his service 
was extended, and he was deployed to Iraq in January of 2005.
  SGT Maida was born in Madison, Wisconsin on November 15, 1982 to 
parents Ray and Diane Maida. He graduated from Memorial High School in 
2001. According to Fallen Heroes Project, Chris Maida, a veteran, 
attempted to talk his brother out of enlisting. Chris said, ``He just 
laughed. He loved life and he wasn't afraid of anything.'' The Chicago 
Tribune writes that SGT Maida was ``known for a great sense of humor 
and loved hunting, fishing and the outdoors; but most of all he loved 
his family and friends.''
  SGT Maida's survivors include his parents, Ray and Diane Maida; a 
sister, Juliann Mutch; two brothers, Aaron Maida and Christopher Maida; 
one grandmother, Olga Herman; two nieces and two nephews.
  The sacrifice of this brave soldier will always be remembered.