Gilbert Gutknecht: “I rise to pay tribute and to honor the memory of Travis Bruce. Mr. Speaker, it is perhaps ironic that, as the family of…”

“I rise to pay tribute and to honor the memory of Travis Bruce. Mr. Speaker, it is perhaps ironic that, as the family of Specialist Travis Bruce was learning the tragic news, I was at the military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. We all ask ourselves the questions that have haunted leaders from Washington to Grant to this very day: Are we doing the right thing? Is it worth the sacrifice? I can think of no better place to ask those questions than at that hospital. So I asked those young heroes, and I can honestly report that they answered ``yes.'' A few said ``absolutely.'' For Specialist Bruce, the battle is now over. He now rests in the loving arms of the God of our fathers. He takes his place in that long line of patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice, that long line that has never failed us. It is now left for us to carry on. There are no words adequate to express our condolences. It is enough for us to say that on behalf of a grateful Nation, we will never forget. We will always be proud, so that we will always be free. ____________________”