Chuck Grassley: “today I ask that the Senate join me in paying tribute to SGT Kampha Sourivong, who made the ultimate sacrifice while…”

“today I ask that the Senate join me in paying tribute to SGT Kampha Sourivong, who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting freedom. Sergeant Sourivong, of Iowa City, IA, was assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, Army National Guard, based out of Iowa Falls, IA. He was mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom with the unit in September 2005 and arrived in Iraq in early May 2006. He died at the age of 20, on September 30, 2006, in Al Asad, Iraq, when his military vehicle encountered small arms fire. Sergeant Sourivong will be posthumously awarded the following awards and decorations for his heroic service: the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Mobilization device, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. My thoughts and prayers have been with Sergeant Sourivong's parents, Patty and Maliphone Sourivong, his brother and sister, and all those other family and friends who are grieving the loss of this young man. The Sourivong family described Kampha as "a very caring person" who "had a lot of friends, loved his family, loved his brother and loved his sister" and someone who "would give the shirt off his back to someone in need." I am grateful for the sacrifice that both Sergeant Sourivong and his family have made.”