On the recordJune 6, 2011
with sadness, I rise to pay tribute to the life of Air Force SSG Joseph J. Hamski who died in the Shorabak district of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan on May 26, 2011, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, SSG Maria Christina Hamski, his mother Mary Ellen, and all his other family and friends who are grieving his loss. Staff Sergeant Hamski had served two tours in Iraq and was serving his second tour in Afghanistan. He was an explosives disposal specialist and was reportedly very good at his job. According to his mother, ``He loved life, but when he was working, he was intense.'' She also observed that, ``He was modest: He'd say, `I just do my job so everyone can do their job.' '' He also told a friend that if he didn't come back, he didn't want people to make it a big deal. While I don't mean to go contrary to his wishes, I cannot fail to pay tribute to his selfless service and tremendous sacrifice. Where would our country be without humble, hardworking, self-sacrificing patriots like Joseph Hamski? We owe him and his comrades in arms nothing short of our freedom and our way of life, a debt we can never repay but must never forget. ____________________
