Floor Statements

Madam President, I would like to take a brief moment to recognize the men and women of the 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment and its subordinate units. The battalion has been assigned to Fort Campbell since 1986. Since then, it has been deployed in support of various military operations around the world--including its current mission in support of the global war on terror.

In November, the members of the 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery will return home to Fort Campbell, to their

eager families and to a grateful Nation after 15 long months in Iraq. During their deployment, these brave Americans fought our enemies in one of the most dangerous sectors of southern Baghdad. They also spent months training their Iraqi Army counterparts so that one day Iraq may be able to enjoy the same security we have here at home.

Freedom is something many of us take for granted. Not so for the members of the 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, who have defended freedom by enduring great hardship. The same is true of their families, who have also sacrificed for freedom with sleepless nights and fear for the safety of their loved ones. As Americans, we are forever indebted to those in the military community who have given so much to protect our liberty and our way of life. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking the men and women of the 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery for their heroic service and in welcoming them back home.

I also ask unanimous consent to have the names of these brave Americans printed in the Record.

Madam President, as you know, the Defense authorization bill passed the Senate last week. Like many of my colleagues, I filed an amendment to the legislation, which had been included in the committee managers' package. Unfortunately, due to procedural matters stemming from the Senate majority's decision to limit amendments, my amendment, No. 5415--and many others like it--was not permitted to move forward. Although my amendment was not able to be considered by the Senate during debate over the Defense bill, I nonetheless want to bring the issue underlying the amendment to the attention of my colleagues.

My amendment was quite simple. It was a sense of the Senate that stated that funding for Department of Defense programs involving traumatic brain injury, TBI, and psychological health should be included in the President's fiscal year 2010 base budget.

Typically, the majority of funding for such programs has been included in supplemental appropriations measures. The reasoning apparently has been that these programs are a cost of war, and therefore they should be addressed through war supplementals.

But TBI and psychological health issues are problems that have been with us for some time and unfortunately are going to be with us for the foreseeable future.

Military personnel often experience health difficulties owing to TBI and psychological injuries long after their combat tour has been completed. Moreover, it has been reported that as many as one in five military personnel returning from Afghanistan and Iraq will suffer from TBI. That is a significant percentage of our military, There are currently nearly 3,000 brave Kentuckians deployed in the war on terror. According to these projections, close to 600 of these brave men and women will suffer from TBI. That figure does not even include those who have already returned from theater.

Considering the long-term health ramifications of TBI and the large number of military personnel who will face these challenges, it seems to me that this reality ought to be reflected in DOD's long-term baseline budgeting rather than through ad hoc supplementals.

My amendment would have put the Senate on record as stating that TBI and psychological health issues reflect a long-term budget priority for our Nation and should be considered as part of the regular order. I believe we owe the brave men and women of our military no less.

Mr. President, the taxpayer can claim a major accomplishment today. At a time of high economic anxiety, this tax relief extension bill we will be voting on later today encourages greater energy independence and delivers much needed relief to job creators across the country and ensures a much smaller tax bill for millions of American families.

The Senate had been deadlocked on the provisions contained in this bill for a number of months, but in the end, Senators on both sides of the aisle shut out the partisan rancor of the Presidential election, hammered out a compromise, and delivered. The result is a tribute to all the Senators and many staffers on both sides who worked so hard to get us to this point.

This legislation does a number of good things:

It blocks the alternative minimum tax from hitting about 20 million middle-class American families, including 137,000 in Kentucky, from an average tax hike of about $2,000, and it doesn't raise taxes to do it.

It helps American families who are struggling to cover the high cost of a college education by giving single parents and married couples a deduction of between $2,000 and $4,000 for college tuition payments through 2009.

Teachers will continue to get a valuable deduction for educational expenses.

Research and development, the heart of future growth, is also encouraged.

At a time of record-high energy prices, this bill contains a number of incentives for increasing the use of clean energy and decreasing our dependence on Middle East oil. It extends a tax credit for companies that produce renewable energy from wind, solar, and biomass. Domestic carmakers get a new tax credit for investing in plug-in electric cars and trucks. Families that build energy-efficient homes will see substantial savings on their utility bills when they buy energy- efficient freezers, dishwashers, and other energy-efficient, common household appliances. And refineries that process shale or tar sands will also see help--a critical new step in expanding domestic energy exploration and development.

From a Kentucky standpoint, I recently met with a group of business leaders from west Kentucky who are pursuing a coal-to-liquids refinery in Paducah that could lead to more than 1,100 new jobs for Kentuckians. They viewed extension of the expiring tax incentives for refinery construction as an incredible economic development tool and an important step toward energy independence by using abundant Kentucky coal. And I was happy to help.

Taken together, the tax extenders in this bill amount to more than $100 billion in tax relief for America's workers and job-creating businesses, and they provide much needed certainties for a nation that has faced enough uncertainty in recent weeks by ensuring that this relief stays in place through next year.

This bill was not easy to complete. Both sides had to make major concessions to get a good result. But this is how the Senate works. With this bill, it worked very well, and both sides can take credit. This tax relief will help the American people at a moment when they can truly use the help.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, when there is a fire in your kitchen threatening to burn down your home, you don't want someone stopping the firefighters on the way and demanding they hand out smoke detectors first or lecturing you about the hazards of keeping paint in the basement. You want them to put out the fire before it burns down your home and everything you have saved for your whole life.

The same is true of our current economic situation. We know there is a serious threat to our economy. We know we must take action to try to head off a serious blow to Main Street.

Over the weekend, Congress received a straightforward four-page Main Street rescue plan aimed at protecting millions of American families and small businesses from the potentially devastating effects of a credit meltdown. We are told that inaction could make it impossible for ordinary Americans to take out loans for college tuition, cars, new homes, and everything else, triggering a corresponding collapse in manufacturing and services that could wipe out savings and lead to massive job losses. The final cost of the plan is unclear, but the potential consequences of inaction are not.

This proposal was designed to contain a spreading crisis, and urgent action is needed. That is why Republicans have resisted the impulse to try to add permanent tax relief and other aid to families and businesses that we believe is critical to the long-term health of our Nation's economy. And we ask our colleagues across the aisle to show similar restraint so that whatever action we take can be done quickly and in time to make a real difference.

This stabilization plan gives us an opportunity to prevent long-term damage to Americans' savings, home values, and livelihoods--to contain the problem from spreading to Main Street. Surely we can all agree to work with each other and stand up for the American people instead of using the bill as fly paper for partisan add-ons.

Republicans have many serious questions about this plan, but this is the only concrete plan we have seen so far that aims to protect Americans on Main Street--to protect their homes, their savings, their retirement plans, protect endangered jobs and small businesses--and we shouldn't jeopardize that effort by delaying urgent action or playing partisan politics.

Americans want to know their savings and retirement accounts are safe. They want the security of knowing the problems on Wall Street are not going to spread to Main Street. The only way we can give them that security and that assurance is by putting partisan interests aside.

There will be many more questions about this plan. I have many myself. But we owe it to the American people to do our due diligence quickly and act swiftly, Democrats and Republicans alike, to contain this crisis before it is too late.

I am confident that we can work together. The American people are counting on us. Let's not disappoint them.

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to one of Kentucky's great heroes in uniform. MSG Thomas L. Bruner of Owensboro, KY, was tragically lost while serving his country in Afghanistan on October 28, 2007. A proud member of the Army Reserves for many years, he was 50 years old.

For his valor in uniform, Master Sergeant Bruner received several medals, decorations, and awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, and two Armed Forces Reserve Medals with ``M'' device.

Those who knew him will remember Master Sergeant Bruner--or, as friends called him, ``Tommy''--as a family man. ``Family was first to him,'' says his brother, Robert Bruner. ``It was all the time family, family, family, everywhere he went.''

He was devoted to his wife Jane Bruner, to whom he was married for 27 years. They met in a club where she served bar. Night after night, he would walk in and notice her. Jane was skeptical at first, but eventually Tommy convinced one of her friends to trick Jane into going out with him after the club closed. ``He spoiled me rotten,'' Jane recalls. ``He would do everything for me. He was my everything . . . my life.''

Jane's two sons, Tom-Tom and Brian Sanefur, became Tommy's stepsons, and he loved them like his own. ``He was always there,'' Brian remembers. ``He was a good father, husband, and friend.''

Perhaps even better than fatherhood was grandfatherhood. Tommy had three grandkids--T.J., Jacob, and ``Baby'' Grace--and loved playing with them. ``He lived for those grandkids,'' Jane says. She remembers how it was not uncommon for Tommy to crawl down on the floor with them and watch cartoon after cartoon.

The most exciting holiday in the Bruner household was Christmas because Tommy outdid everyone on decorations. He was able to spend each Christmas at home. ``He had reindeer, he had lights, a snowman, a sled,'' Jane recalls. ``We've always had big Christmases.'' While serving in Afghanistan, Tommy even told Jane that he had gone to a bazaar there and done some Christmas shopping for her and the children.

Soon before his passing, Tommy and Jane built a new house together in Owensboro, and Tommy helped pick out the colors. The couple saved up their money until they could build a home of their dreams. Jane has planted a white dogwood tree now at the house in Tommy's memory.

In that house, Tommy turned the garage into what Jane calls his ``war room,'' where he put up pictures of battles from the Revolutionary War to Operation Enduring Freedom. It was his little getaway, and Jane has left it just as it was.

Tommy was a veteran soldier, having served on Active Duty from 1975 to 1979 and then joined the Army Reserves in 1981. He volunteered to serve in Afghanistan because he wanted to help train the younger soldiers and was deployed with Headquarters, 2nd Brigade, 100th Division, U.S. Army Reserve, based out of Owensboro, KY. ``He wanted to go, and I said, `There's no way I'm going to stop you from doing what you want to do,' '' Jane says. ``He was just a soldier doing his job, and he loved it.''

Jane also recalls that Tommy said he loved it in Afghanistan. He thought the country was beautiful, and he was trying to learn the language. He told Jane the mission in Afghanistan was the highlight of his career.

Patrick Rowe, the training coordinator at the Owensboro Army Reserve Center, recalls Tommy's bond with his fellow soldiers. ``He knew his guys,'' Patrick said. ``You could ask him anything about anybody.''

At home, Tommy attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and worked as manager at the Don Moore Auto Mall. They appreciated him there because he was ``so picky,'' Jane says. He paid attention to every detail. He had been planning to retire after his latest tour, but Jane thinks he still would have worked there to give himself something to do.

Tommy died of a heart attack while serving his country in Afghanistan. Jane knew something was wrong because Tommy called her every day, until one day he did not call.

Our thoughts are with his many loved ones after such a loss. We are thinking of his wife Jane; his stepsons, Tom and Brian Sanefur; his mother Martha; his grandmother Virginia; his grandchildren, T.J., Jacob, and Grace Sanefur; his brother Robert; and many other beloved friends and family members.

Jane received an insurance settlement after Tommy died. She decided she already had everything she wanted, so she gave the money to the grandchildren. ``It is what he would have wanted,'' Jane said.

I express my deepest sympathies to Jane Bruner and to all of her and Tommy's family. I would like them to know this Senate honors MSG Thomas L. Bruner's great devotion and his sacrifice, and we offer our deepest gratitude to him and his family for all they have given our Nation.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I would like to speak briefly about a special group of Kentuckians who visited our Nation's capitol last month. In August, 39 World War II veterans from the Commonwealth visited the memorial which they inspired on the National Mall. These heroes were able to make this trip because of the Honor Flight Program, a nonprofit organization which transports surviving World War II veterans from around the country to see their memorial free of charge. Because Congress was out of session during their visit, I was back home in Kentucky. As a result, I was unable to participate in this Honor Flight event as I have in others before it. However, I hope to have the opportunity to meet more of these inspirational veterans on future Bluegrass Honor Flight trips.

The World War II Memorial was dedicated in 2004, nearly 60 years after our troops returned home. It sits, appropriately, between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial--reflecting the same principles of courage and valor that were embodied by these two great Presidents. The legacy of the World War II veterans who defended those principles from enemies of freedom is not only preserved by this memorial, but it is honored each day in the sacrifices of American troops who continue to do the same for our Nation in the war on terror.

As Americans, we are forever indebted to the brave men and women of the United States military who defend this great Nation. The veterans of World War II made tremendous sacrifices so that we could continue to live in prosperity and freedom and for that they are more than deserving of their title as the ``greatest generation.''

I would ask that my colleagues join me in honoring these Kentucky veterans:

World War II Veterans

Henry Alford; Salvator Amato; Fairel Bailey; Harlan Barton;

Woodrow Bryant; Wilbur Cannon; Charles Carveth; Clarence Cox;

Richard Dolan; Luther Drury; Francis Fleck; John Frantz;

William Glye; Sam Goldstein; Eugene Haag; James Harrison;

James Hunt; Paul Jones; James Lenihan; William Lippy.

Beverly Miller; Bobby Morgan; Ernest Morgan; James

Nicholson; Lewis Perciful; James Plummer; Carl Rapson;

Shirrelle Render; Harold Senior; Evan Shelby; Donald Stevens;

Wayne Tabor; Willard Thomas; Ernest Wagner; Phillip Wells;

James West, Jr.; Elmer Whitaker; Cecil Williams; Gilbert

Yunt.

Mr. President, let me say to my good friend the majority leader that he can expect a high level of cooperation from this side on moving forward on the extenders package, as we have essentially reached an agreement, which has basically been drafted. We will be working on a way to go forward, procedurally, on that measure at the earliest possible time. He will also get maximum cooperation from us on a variety of different matters he would like to consider prior to next week. So we will stay in constant communication and try to see what we can accomplish on a bipartisan basis in the rather small amount of time we have remaining.

Mr. President, on the front page of every newspaper in towns and cities throughout the country, Americans are reading stories about our economy and they are looking for answers. They are looking for leadership. They are looking for a sign that everything is going to be OK--or, at the very least, a sign that their elected officials are committed to fixing the problem.

I know that, in Kentucky, it is not the hard work that bothers them. They have always held up their end of the bargain. It is what they can't control that makes them nervous. They want to know that their pensions, their savings, and their families are going to be OK. They want to be reassured that the investments taxpayers made this week were the right thing to do.

Considering what the American people have seen from some of our colleagues on the Senate floor this week, I understand their nervousness. Instead of working to ease the anxiety Americans are feeling about the economy, some are using the anxiety to continue their everlasting campaign. Instead of coming together to face this problem head-on as a country, some colleagues have taken to the Senate floor to blame Republicans for the bad news.

It is little wonder why Americans hold this Congress in such low regard. We can all come up with a million reasons to blame someone for bad news, but it doesn't change the fact that we all face these challenges together. It is time to confront the problem rather than point fingers. That is the challenge for this Congress in the days ahead.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, let me say to my good friend from Nevada, this is a very legitimate concern that the Texas Senators have. They are working diligently, as the junior Senator from Texas indicated, with Senator Baucus and Senator Grassley.

I support this bill; the majority leader supports this bill. It has broad bipartisan support. I assure my good friend the majority leader that there is not an effort here to try to slow down the passage of this extender package. But we would like to get it right, if we can, and this is a legitimate concern the Texas Senators have. I am convinced that they are working as rapidly as possible; that Senator Baucus and Senator Grassley are sympathetic to their concerns and, apparently, think they are legitimate concerns that could be addressed. So I would like to try to cheer up my good friend the majority leader that maybe progress is just around the corner.

Mr. President, my good friend, the majority leader, should feel good about this. We are on the cusp of a very significant piece of legislation worked out on a bipartisan basis. I, too, feel grateful to Chairman Baucus and Ranking Member Grassley for their endless number of hours in crafting this truly bipartisan compromise.

So I think it is something the Senate can be proud of achieving. We are set up to reach that achievement on Tuesday.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, the impact of Hurricane Ike, as we all know, devastated part of the United States, including my State of Kentucky. This past Sunday, 70-mile-per-hour winds blew through the State, leaving thousands of people with damaged or destroyed property.

I could give my own personal observation about it. My wife and I were out at lunch Sunday when the storm came through. There were very high winds, as I indicated--70-mile-an-hour winds--which we are certainly not accustomed to in Louisville, KY. We drove home and saw that one way into our house was blocked because a tree in our own yard had fallen across the road. We took another route around to try to get into the back of the house, and another tree had fallen across the road. That was replicated across Louisville, KY. The power in my own house is still out--to personalize it--as it is in a huge number of houses in Louisville and northern Kentucky, which is across from Cincinnati. This had a severe impact on a lot of people. The good news is that the hospitals and major facilities do have power.

As many as 170,000 homes are still without power. And schools in several counties remain closed today as the cleanup continues.

State and local officials are working as hard as they can to survey the destruction and get help to anyone who needs it.

I expect the State will soon ask the Federal Government for disaster assistance, which I will strongly support.

Mr. President, families all across America are concerned about their financial security. As Congress, the administration and Federal Reserve consider the appropriate measures to strengthen our capital markets, I believe it is imperative that we do so in a bipartisan manner.

Now more than ever is the time to rise above politics and work together. Our constituents do not want campaign speeches and hyperpartisan accusations--they want security for their home and savings. They want energy security and lower costs for gas and oil. And they want protection from future tax hikes on their income.

Government should be focused on bipartisan efforts to address the fundamental problems in the credit markets and must be cautious in putting taxpayer dollars at risk. And we should work together to help all Americans.

Mr. President, in giving these remarks, I am saluting Senator Byrd.

Just a few short blocks from this Capitol at the National Archives lies an old and yellowing document, encased under heavy glass.

It is the Constitution of the United States, signed on this day in 1787 by 39 brave Americans. They and their countrymen had just fought a war for liberty. And they understood that the highest goal of a government is to preserve and protect that liberty.

The oldest delegate, Benjamin Franklin, was already revered by his colleagues as one of America's greatest statesmen. They wanted to hear his opinion on their work. Franklin told his compatriots in Philadelphia, ``I consent, sir, to this Constitution, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best.''

Over two centuries later, we can say proudly that the system of Government those great men devised is the best--simple in form, elegant in function, and firmly devoted to the preservation of liberty. Amended many times but never abandoned, our Constitution is the oldest still in use today.

We celebrate, every year, the brilliant document our Founders gave us by marking September 17 as Constitution Day. Senator Byrd was the one who suggested that we do that. It is a day for all Americans, but especially schoolchildren, to learn more about the Constitution, to understand how it works, and to appreciate how it has guided our Nation through growth and change.

I want to thank the senior Senator from West Virginia for sponsoring the legislation 4 years ago to mark this day and to celebrate this seminal document. We all know the love Senator Byrd has for American history, and the history of the Senate.

He knows that you cannot truly understand how liberty is preserved in our country without understanding the Constitution. Thank you, Senator Byrd for your efforts.

Constitution Day serves to promote civic awareness. In Kentucky, we take this charge seriously, and through important efforts like the Civic Literacy Initiative of Kentucky and other projects, we are working to increase civic awareness across the Bluegrass State.

So on this day, we recognize the students, teachers, and community leaders in Kentucky and across the Nation who promote and protect the ideals of our glorious Constitution.

And we say a special thanks for our men and women in uniform, who defend it.

More than two centuries ago, the 39 signers of our Constitution gave us a more perfect Union through a document that endures and guides us here today. They understood, as we all must, that above all, Government serves to secure the blessings of liberty for the people of our great Nation.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today because after more than 60 years, a Kentucky family has been reunited with a father and grandfather they never knew. And an American hero is coming home.

Second Lieutenant Howard Clifton Enoch, Jr., U.S. Army Air Forces, was last seen on March 19, 1945, when he took off in his P-51D Mustang single-seat fighter plane for a mission over Germany. He crashed while engaging enemy aircraft near the city of Leipzig.

His remains could not be immediately recovered, and once Soviet forces took over the part of that country that would become East Germany--including the area around Leipzig recovery became impossible for decades.

Howard Enoch III was born 3 months after his father's plane crashed. He grew up in Marion, KY, never knowing his namesake. Now, thanks to the work of some dedicated men and women in the Department of Defense, his father's remains have been identified.

A German researcher originally identified the crash site, and notified our Government. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, the arm of the Department of Defense charged with recovering the remains of our lost heroes, sent a recovery crew to Germany. They used mitochondrial DNA analysis to identify the remains, and in 2007 they contacted Howard Enoch III with the astonishing news.

Howard Enoch III's two young daughters gained new insight into their grandfather. And the discovery brought Howard in touch with a cousin he never knew, who had served alongside Second Lieutenant Enoch in Europe in World War II.

Now Second Lieutenant Enoch will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, alongside America's greatest heroes. And the Enoch family can know that after valiant service to his country, six decades later, a soldier will finally rest in peace. I wish to offer my deepest appreciation to Howard Enoch III for his father's service and his family's sacrifice on behalf of our country.

Earlier this month, the Bluegrass Chapter of Honor Flight paid special tribute to Second Lieutenant Enoch at the World War II Memorial in our Nation's Capital. Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization which transports World War II veterans from anywhere in the country to see the memorial, free of charge.

Honor Flight and its volunteers, many of whom are veterans themselves, are doing a great service for our Nation by allowing these veterans to make this important trip. Second Lieutenant Enoch never got a chance to visit the World War II Memorial. But it was built for him, and his thousands of fellow soldiers. So I am glad that 63 years later, Honor Flight has recognized his service.

For a long time, the Enoch family has felt not only the loss of Second Lieutenant Enoch, but also doubt about his final fate. I am pleased for them that that doubt is over. They can take comfort that 2LT Howard Clifton Enoch, Jr. will lie among Arlington's heroes. And they can take pride that this U.S. Senate honors his service and his sacrifice.

Mr. President, I understand Senator Bill Nelson was here earlier. I ask unanimous consent that he be recognized at the conclusion of my remarks.

Mr. President, we are honored to live in a country with the bravest men and women in uniform in the world. I rise to pay tribute to one of those warriors, SP Ronnie D. Williams of Morning View, KY, tragically killed on July 17, 2005, after his tank overturned while on patrol in Baghdad.

Specialist Williams was 26 years old. It was his second tour of duty in Iraq. For his bravery in uniform, he received several awards, medals, and decorations, including the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.

Although his Army files may list him as ``Ronnie,'' just about anyone who knew Specialist Williams called him by his nickname, ``John Boy.'' His mom Sharon Williams explains why.

``When he was born, `The Waltons' was on TV,'' she says. ``His uncle was named Ronnie [and] we called him John, so when my son was born we nicknamed him John Boy, just like on the show.''

John Boy grew up in a big family and had an active childhood. He loved to hunt and would go hunting for deer and turkey. One frequent hunting companion was his uncle, Lance Anderson.

He loved fishing as well and once went fishing with his father-in- law, William O'Banion, and caught a 42-pound catfish.

``If I had a choice out of a million boys to be my son-in-law, he would have been No. 1,'' Williams said.

John Boy's wife Darlene also knew him when he was young and remembers the fun he used to have as a child. ``John Boy grew up next door to me,'' Darlene says. ``We rode the same bus together. . . . He and my brother were best friends. . . . They would go to the trestle in DeMossville to fish, but they wouldn't tell anybody so that they could keep it a secret. They didn't want anyone to find their fishing hole.''

``Growing up we fought like cats and dogs,'' she said. ``I grew up with a bunch of boys--never any girls. I always played with my brother's friends and he'd get mad.''

John Boy enjoyed spending time with his friends and family. ``When he could come home, he'd say, 'OK, Mom--get the family together. It's time for a card game.'''

John Boy's Uncle Lance was in the Marines, perhaps inspiring John Boy to follow in that tradition. According to Darlene, he was also motivated by a love of his country. ``After 9/11, he said he wanted to make a difference,'' she said.

John Boy graduated from Simon Kenton High School in Independence, KY, in 1998, and joined the Army in 2002. He was eventually assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment based in Fort Carson, CO.

Even while serving his country away from home, however, John Boy didn't forget the girl who had been, literally, next-door. ``Growing up, John Boy always told my dad that he'd marry me,'' Darlene says.

While back home on leave, John Boy and Darlene spent a lot of time together and, in her words, they ``hit it off pretty quick.'' Their devotion to each other continued even across great distances, once he had returned to his squadron.

``I went out to Fort Carson to see him every other week,'' Darlene says. ``It was a 24-hour drive. . . . It's a haul, especially in my '89 Cavalier.''

On his last trip home, John Boy celebrated his birthday with his family,and he and Darlene took a belated honeymoon to Florida.

John Boy also made time to speak to kids when he was home and tell them about his experiences in uniform. Some schoolchildren had written him letters while he was away. He wanted to thank them personally.

``When he came home, he visited River Ridge Elementary School because his nieces attended there,'' Sharon recalls.

Darlene remembers how eager John Boy was to see the kids when he came home. ``He had blisters on his feet and back, but instead of going home and relaxing, he went to his nieces' school to talk about the Army, and he handed out candy to all the kids.''

Mr. President, our thoughts are with John Boy's family after their horrible loss. We are thinking of his wife, Darlene Williams; his son, Houston David Williams; his mother, Sharon Williams; his father, Howard Williams; his sisters, Crystal Herzog and Kathy Williams; his brothers, Geoffrey Williams and Howard Williams; his grandparents, David and Kay Redmond; his uncle, Lance Anderson; his parents-in-law, William Henry O'Banion, Jr. and Corinne O'Banion; and many other beloved friends and family members. Darlene adds about her husband:

I just want everyone to know what a wonderful man he was;

that he would do anything for anyone. He was so wonderful to

me.

I trust those who knew and loved SPC Ronnie D. Williams will not soon forget his enormous service and sacrifice for our Nation, and this Senate stands in admiration of devotion like his that continues to keep our Nation safe and free.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.