Michael Collins: “I rise today to pay tribute to an American hero, Capt. Patrick M. McKenna, U.S. Army. Mr. Speaker, the most important…”

“I rise today to pay tribute to an American hero, Capt. Patrick M. McKenna, U.S. Army. Mr. Speaker, the most important duty of our Nation's Government is protecting its citizens from aggressors in order to secure the liberties we all enjoy. However, we call on a select few to carry out this most important task. We ask the men and women who guard our Nation to stand up in liberty's hour of peril and risk their lives so that we may continue to live in "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty with justice for all." Mr. Speaker, when the call went out, Patrick McKenna stepped to the front of the line. He left his home in Columbus, GA, and went to faraway lands to stand guard for you and me. He went knowing that he may never return home to those he loved. And last week, Mr. Speaker, Patrick McKenna paid the price that liberty sometimes demands--he gave his life, for you, for me, for his family and for every other American who loves this great land in which we live. Mr. Speaker, on April 14, Patrick McKenna was killed when the Blackhawk helicopter he was piloting was shot down in northern Iraq. Although we still do not know exactly why this tragedy occurred, let me be very clear in saying that Patrick McKenna's death was not in vain. He is as much a hero as the brave men and women who died on the beaches of Normandy, in the jungles of Vietnam, in Korea, in the Middle East, and the thousands of other brave soldiers who died protecting you and me.”