On the recordOctober 1, 2020
Today I rise to celebrate the legacy of a local resident and hero of Florida's 15th District, First Lieutenant Ivan Lechowich. Lieutenant Lechowich was a devoted husband and loving father who served his country in uniform and was, sadly, killed in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on September 28, 2011. Lieutenant Lechowich graduated from the International Baccalaureate Program at King High School, earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2007, and, after joining the U.S. Army in 2009, deployed to Afghanistan 2 years later. Ivan was serving as a Sapper Platoon leader for the 515th Sapper Company out of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, when an improvised explosive device took his life. Ivan was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, and NATO Medal. To his beloved wife, Jenn; daughter, Natalie Marie; and the rest of the Lechowich family, our district and community still mourns the loss of Ivan these many years later. May his memory and many sacrifices be a reminder of his love for his family and his Nation. Remembering Sergeant Daniel McKinnon Angus
