Honoring Our Armed Forces

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
Oct. 1, 2004

HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES

PRIVATE-FIRST CLASS NICHOLAUS ZIMMER

Mr. DEWINE. Mr. President, I come to the Senate floor today to pay tribute to a young Ohioan who gave his life in the line of duty fighting for freedom. Today I stand here to remember a soldier of inspiring independence and determination, a young man whose life was cut far too short when the tank he was in was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Kufa, Iraq. He was 20 years old.

Army PFC Nicholaus Zimmer was the only child of Lisa and Harold "Gino" Zimmer of Powell, OH. The two were proud, yet of course, worried when their son decided to enlist in the Army at the age of 17. Despite their natural parental concerns, they knew he would go his own way and do things in his own way. Because, you see, Nicholaus Zimmer was special. He was voted most unique in the Westland High School class of 2002. He defied stereotypes. He was unconventional. He had an exceptional spirit. Nicholaus was lovingly described as a bookish, pink-haired, 1970s-clothes-wearing, skateboarding kid who loved to question authority. I should note, though, that the pink hair description was constantly changing, as Nicholaus altered his hair color to blue and even shaved it once into a Mohawk haircut. Though most would consider pink hair as strictly a defining characteristic, it was not so for Nicholaus. As with other aspects of his life, Nicholaus could not be easily pigeonholed-not really-especially as a punk rock youth. No, he loved to read Shakespeare and would quote it while talking to teachers. Nicholaus was considering becoming an English teacher. Well, that or maybe an Apache helicopter pilot. Nicholaus was ambitious and set his goals high. He enlisted in the Army so he could earn money to go to college and see the world. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division out of Friedberg, Germany. His job was driving M1A1 tanks-another irony in his life given the fact that Nicholaus didn't have a driver's license. Nevertheless, he drove that tank with great skill and expertise.

At age 19, Nicholaus was sent to Iraq. Nicholaus would send his parents souvenirs from Iraq, including shrapnel and money with Saddam Hussein's face on it. They in turn would send him his favorite books and baby wipes to take the sand off of his body.

Nicholaus was proud to serve. He was also anxious to come home, come home to show his parents the man he had become in the time that he was away.

As his mom said;

His year was up on Mother's Day. You could tell he was ready to come home. But he had a job to do.

Nicholaus was a good soldier. Here is how his company commander CPT John Moore described him:

Nick was a superb soldier and had a priceless sense of humor in a place where that came at a premium. He always had a great way of identifying with other soldiers and making the best of some pretty rough situations. As a soldier he was decorated twice for bravery in battle, and he never forgot his duty to his fellow troops. After our company lost our first man, Sergeant Mike Mitchell, Nick was best able to verbalize our sense of loss and what that grief meant to us, despite his junior rank, experience and young age. I will never forget his ability to joke and see the brighter side of any situation and his ability to identify with everybody regardless of rank. Nick's loss hit the 3rd Platoon and all of Crusader Company very hard and resonates through my company still.

I would like to share with you now an e-mail message posted on a soldier memorial Web site following Nicholaus's death. It is from the sister of that same Sergeant Mitchell. The sister writes:

To the family and friends of Nick-my name is Christine, and I am the sister of Michael Mitchell, who served with Nick. My brother was taken from us on April 4, 2004. My heart goes out to you because we definitely can understand your pain. . . . I want to thank you all since I will not be able to tell Nick myself. I guess Nick was helping the soldiers with the death of my brother. I read a letter that Captain Moore wrote where he said, "Nobody will ever forget that Nick Zimmer was probably one of the most verbally expressive soldiers in this command and that he more than anyone else in the company helped us to identify the effects of Mike Mitchell's death so we could soldier through it and understand it." So Nick, thank you. You and my brother are together now. Please take care of each other.

I have no doubt that they are taking care of each other. Soldiers take care of each other in life and in death. When Nicholaus passed away, family, friends, and members of the Powell community came out to show their support for the Zimmer family. American flags lined the yards down the street, and neighbors stood along the road to pay their respects as the funeral procession passed, a procession that included Nicholaus's father and dozens of motorcycles adorned with flags.

Though it is never easy to say goodbye, the funeral of Nicholaus Zimmer was what he would have wanted. A two-star general sat next to a skateboarder with multiple piercings. Looking through the crowd, one could see tattooed bikers, men in business suits, and teenagers with a variety of unconventional hair colors. Yes, I think he would have liked it.

Indeed, Nicholaus Zimmer was a unique young man, a unique young man with the ability to bring people together of all walks of life. This was apparent at the funeral. It was apparent to anyone who knew him.

As his father said:

Look at Nicholaus as an example . . . He always lived the way he wanted to-and he died that way, too.

Mr. President, I never had the chance to meet Nicholaus Zimmer, but I wish I could have. I did have the privilege of meeting Nicholaus's family during the calling hours for their son. I thank them for sharing their memories with me. They told me that Nicholaus was not the only member of their family to serve overseas. Nicholaus had an uncle who served in Vietnam and a grandfather who saw action in Korea. The Zimmer family is proud of their son's service. Our Nation, too, is proud of his service.

Mr. President, I will conclude with a message from the extended family of Army Specialist A.J. Vandayburg, an Ohio soldier from Mansfied, who was also killed in Iraq in April. They wrote the following to the Zimmer family:

Thank you, Nicholaus, for protecting us all. Sometimes we forget what our Armed Forces are doing for us. Freedom, unfortunately, comes with that unforgivable, unfathomable price. You will not be forgotten for your sacrifice. To your family, we say thank you, too, for your sacrifice. There are no words to replace a child, a brother, an uncle-a loved one. When you are able, seek out those who have given their all. We know from experience the price you have paid, and we mourn with you. God bless you all.

Mr. President, I think that letter expresses our sentiments, as well, to the family.