On the recordMay 13, 2010
it is with a heavy heart that today I honor LCpl. Richard R. Penny from Greenland, AR, and pay tribute to his life and service to our country. Lance Corporal Penny was a machine gunner assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In March of this year, he was deployed to Afghanistan's Helmand Province, an opium-producing region at the epicenter of the war on terror. He served with valor and distinction, earning numerous awards, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Lance Corporal Penny was an ``all-American'' man, an all-conference defensive tackle for Greenland High School's football team, and voted ``class favorite'' by his peers. He loved to hunt and fish and drive backroads in his four-wheel-drive pickup he called ``Skeeter.'' Those who knew him described him as ``tough as nails,'' and said the word ``quit'' was not part of his vocabulary.
