Honoring Our Armed Forces

Ms. MURKOWSKI. I thank the Chair.

Mr. President, it is fitting that we reserve time each morning to pay tribute to the troops. I, too, mourn the loss of so many of our young men and women who went over to Iraq and will not be coming home. Our hearts go out to their families and friends and for these brave men and women who put their lives on the line for our freedoms.

To listen to the stories this morning, to hear the accounts of the two young men from Delaware who will not be returning home to their families, to sit in this Chamber and listen to Senators from the various States talk about those who will not be coming home, as a country we mourn for them, but we also have cause to celebrate and be joyous with those who will be coming home.

I stand before you with a great sense of pride for a young man from Alaska who we just learned, quite honestly by way of a photograph that appeared on Monday, was pinned by General Franks with a Bronze Star for battle. It is one of those success stories; it is one of those tributes that is important to mention as we speak about those who have not only given their lives but those who have gone into battle and are coming back to celebrate the victories.

The young man from Alaska about whom I would like to speak this morning is SGT Lucas Goddard. He has been in the military for just 3 years. He is 21 years old. He is part of the Army's 327th 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. It was on Monday in Najaf that General Franks pinned the Bronze Star on Sergeant Goddard.

Imagine yourself, Mr. President, as a parent, as we both are, your son or your daughter is overseas. They are in a conflict and you have not heard from them in several months, not knowing their situation, not knowing whether they are safe, really not knowing where they are. Your eyes are glued to the coverage of the war to glimpse anything.

The parents of Sergeant Goddard received a phone call on Monday from a reporter who had seen the picture, saw that the young man had been identified as being from Alaska, and contacted Mrs. Goddard. The reporter said: So what do you think? Mrs. Goddard was speechless. She was so happy, she was so joyous, not necessarily that her son had received this incredible recognition, but that her son was alive.

The headline in the hometown newspaper that day was: "Medal and Media Images Mean Army Son is Alive in Iraq." Think about yourself as a parent wanting to know, waiting to know, getting a call from a reporter saying: What do you think? But the good news is that your son is alive and, on top of that, to be given a medal such as the Bronze Star.

I had an opportunity last evening to speak with Sergeant Goddard's mother, Kathy Goddard. She lives in Juneau. It was heartwarming to speak with her about the pride she has for her son and the sense of giving that she has as a parent. She said to me: It's not just Lucas; it is not just Lucas who is out there. There are other young men and women from Sitka, who are in Iraq, who are serving our country, and we are concerned for all of them.

Sitka is a very small community in southeast Alaska. It is an island of about 8,000 people. In that community in the grocery store, I understand from Mrs. Goddard that what they have done is put a list in the grocery store of the individuals who are serving our country right now so that people can get a sense of who is out there serving, the men and women we honor.

I asked Mrs. Goddard: Can you tell us what it was that your son did to receive the Bronze Star? In the picture that we saw, there was no real recognition. It was just an acknowledgment that this young man had received the honor.

She does not know. Her comment to me was: It really does not matter what he was recognized for, but whatever it is, we are exceptionally proud. We cannot wait until he gets home and he can sit around the dinner table and tell us all that he has gone through.

She said he is a very humble young man and does not like to tout his accomplishments. She says he is probably going to be embarrassed over all of the hoopla that is going on right now, but there is good reason for hoopla. It is still very sketchy right now, but in referencing several of the newspaper accounts, we understand that General Franks awarded the Bronze Star for valor to two soldiers who had fought in the battle for Najaf. SGT James Ward led the team that stormed the military compound on the south side of the city, and SGT Lucas Goddard spearheaded the assault on the local airfield, taking direct enemy fire.

In further newspaper accounts, as best we have been able to tell, we understand they had captured a compound of weapons while under fire by AK-47s, grenade launchers, and rocket-propelled grenades. So our brave young man from Sitka did what he was trained to do and was recognized for it. He will be going home to Sitka to celebrate with his family.

I need to share a mother's intuition with the Chair and my colleagues. Mrs. Goddard said she woke up on Monday sensing that she was going to hear from her son that day.

She said: You know, you just sometimes get that intuition; I just felt something.

She had not heard from her son for upward of a month prior to this. That afternoon she received a phone call from a reporter asking: What do you think? We have seen the newspaper account.

Well, that was not a direct contact from her son necessarily, but she said: You follow that mother's instinct. I knew that I was going to hear from him today. And that is what she heard.

So to all of the men and women from Sitka, from all over my State, from all over the country, our hearts go out to you. We are extremely proud of all of you at this moment, like Sergeant Goddard, who so bravely is defending our freedom and our democracy. We must acknowledge all of our men and women for the sacrifices they are making for America's freedom, our freedom, the freedom of this Chamber, and the freedom of millions of people all over the world as we are protected by those who are serving in our Armed Forces.

Sergeant Goddard is an example to all of us. It is this rock solid courage that we think about. This is what our military is all about, unfaltering bravery. So the recognition Sergeant Goddard received is one that we look to, we say thank you, and God bless.

I am going to share one last communication from Sergeant Goddard. This was in an e-mail message he sent to his family some months ago. It is a testament of his good will, and I believe his honorable service to our country. In his message, he stated:

I will be thinking of you all while over there. It is because of people like you that we fight the tyrants who stand in the way of freedom and peace.

So to Sergeant Goddard and all of those men and women who are serving us for our freedom, we thank you.
I yield the floor, and suggest the absence of a quorum.