Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I rise today to honor a fallen soldier from the United States Army. Sergeant Chris Davis of Lubbock, Texas, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment,…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
I rise today to honor a fallen soldier from the United States Army. Sergeant Chris Davis of Lubbock, Texas, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia. He joined the Army in September of 1999 and proudly served four tours in Iraq, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007. On June 23, 2007, while deployed in Iraq, Sergeant Davis was killed in action when his unit was attacked by insurgents using improvised explosive devices and small arms. He was only 35 years old.
The bill currently under consideration, H.R. 1632, would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5014 Gary Avenue in Lubbock, Texas, as the Sergeant Chris Davis Post Office. I believe it is important for Congress to honor the sacrifice of this soldier and his family, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
Chris was born October 25, 1971. He grew up in Lubbock, Texas, and graduated from Estacado High School. He later enlisted in the Army in 1999. Before enlisting, Chris was a welder in a machine shop.
Sergeant Davis wanted to serve his country from a very young age. According to his father, Ray Davis, he said that while Chris was in school, he expressed a desire to join the Army. His family remembers that he used to say, I want to fight for my country. I want to do something for my country and this is what I will do. And he said, So if something happens, don't be mad at anyone.
Chris earned quite a few awards during his honorable service to our country: one Army Commendation Medal, three Army Achievement Medals, one Presidential Unit Citation, one Good Conduct Medal, one National Defense Service Medal, one Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, one Southwest Asia Service Medal, one Iraqi Campaign Medal, one Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and one Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Sergeant Davis will be remembered as a valiant soldier and a wonderful son, father, husband, and brother. He loved his family and was known to always place others before himself. His sister Margaret remembers that Chris loved to have barbecues just for the opportunity to give him time to spend time with his family. He was known to make people laugh. He had the knack for cheering up anyone around him who was having a bad day. Chris was proud to be an American, and he bravely served his Nation that he loved.
Chris is survived by his wife, Debbie; his daughter, Taylor; his son, Zachary; his parents, Raymond and Herminia; and nine siblings, who I am sure are watching today.
On behalf of the United States Congress, we thank you for your sacrifice. As I speak these words, I'm reminded of the words Abraham Lincoln used in his famous letter to Mrs. Bixby, the mother of five sons who were killed during the Civil War:
``I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.'' Abraham Lincoln, November 21, 1864.
Mr. Speaker, with the 4-year anniversary of Sergeant Davis' death just a few days away, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1632, in honor of Sergeant Chris Davis, and designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5014 Gary Avenue in Lubbock, Texas, as the Sergeant Chris Davis Post Office.