Ann Wagner: “I appreciate my friend and colleague from North Carolina for yielding me this time, and the gentleman from Vermont also…”

“I appreciate my friend and colleague from North Carolina for yielding me this time, and the gentleman from Vermont also for his tremendous support and commitment to honoring our fallen heroes. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of a great American hero. On March 16, 2006, Missouri's Second District lost a brave young woman when United States Army Sergeant Amanda N. Pinson was killed in a mortar attack while serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the life of this young patriot. Army Sergeant Amanda Pinson was a signals intelligence analyst assigned to the 101st Military Intelligence Detachment of the 101st Airborne Division based in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. On a personal note, I have to say that the Screaming Eagles are very personal to me, as my oldest son is presently serving as an Army officer in the 101st. Amanda is survived by her mother, Chris; her father, Tony; and her younger brother, Bryan. Growing up in Lemay, Missouri, Amanda enlisted in the Army after graduating from Hancock Place High School, where she won several scholarships and was on the basketball and the softball teams. Amanda was always concerned about helping others. In high school, she started her own group called HELP, the Hancock Environmental Leadership Program. She enlisted all of her friends to join, and Amanda and the HELP group planted trees at local parks and volunteered with local seniors.…”