Madam President, I rise today to honor a fallen hero, Nebraska Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Patrick Hamburger, a native of Lincoln who later settled in Grand Island, Nebraska. Staff Sergeant Hamburger served his country as a flight engineer while mobilized with the Nebraska Army National Guard's Company B, 2nd Battalion 135th General Support Aviation, based in Grand Island. Staff Sergeant Hamburger and 29 fellow soldiers paid the ultimate price in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on August 6, 2011. He was the crew chief on the Chinook helicopter downed by enemy fire in Afghanistan. It is through extraordinary sacrifices such as his that we are able to enjoy the freedoms we have today. Staff Sergeant Hamburger's unfaltering devotion to duty and pride in his country went beyond the time he spent in uniform. Patrick lived to help others. From his childhood in Lincoln, to mentoring fellow soldiers, those who knew him recall that he was always looking out for others. Patrick's brother Chris remembers his kind spirit by stating: He didn't worry about himself half as much as he worried about everyone else. You could have been a complete stranger and if he could have helped you, he would have done it. Thirteen years ago, that mentality and sense of patriotism led a young high school senior to take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the State of Nebraska against all enemies, foreign and domestic.…
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