Mike Pence: “I rise humbly today to pay a debt of honor and respect to Army National Guard Master Sergeant Mike Hiester of Bluffton…”

“I rise humbly today to pay a debt of honor and respect to Army National Guard Master Sergeant Mike Hiester of Bluffton, Indiana. As I saw firsthand last December at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan, Hoosiers have made an extraordinary difference for freedom in Operation Enduring Freedom, and Master Sergeant Mike Hiester was a leader of men in that place. On March 26, 2005, Mike lost his life while fighting to defend America in Afghanistan. His military vehicle with the 76th Infantry Brigade Army National Guard, Indianapolis, struck a land mine 30 miles west of Kabul, Afghanistan, claiming his life and the lives of three other Indiana Army National Guard. At his home in Bluffton, Indiana, he was known as a loving husband and father, a member of the Bluffton Fire Department, and he will not soon be forgotten by this grieving community of Bluffton, which will say goodbye to him this week. I also offer my deepest condolences to his wife Dawn; his two children Emily and Adam; and his parents, Tom and Kay Hiester; as well as his sisters Megan and Michele, and all those across northeastern Indiana and all of our State who cherish the memory of this hero.”