Henry Brown: “last Friday, a constituent of mine, Mr. Daniel Parker, was struck down during his service in Iraq. Mr. Parker, a…”

“last Friday, a constituent of mine, Mr. Daniel Parker, was struck down during his service in Iraq. Mr. Parker, a dedicated Halliburton employee and retired teacher at a Border Patrol Academy in Charleston, was en route to Baghdad International Airport in a military convoy when an improvised explosive detonated near his vehicle. Dan, a veteran of two tours in Vietnam, selflessly braved the perilous environment of a war zone and helped establish a peaceful and productive democracy in the Middle East. Civilian workers like Dan are the unsung heroes in pursuit of stability in Iraq. With the deaths this past week of Dan and other civilians, we have been tragically exposed to the deadly hazards that these courageous American employees encounter during their daily work abroad. Working alongside coalition troops and the Iraqi people, civilian contractors work tirelessly to improve the quality of life of strangers by helping to provide the simple resources that we in America most often take for granted: electric power, clean water, and public schools. Dan Parker was an innocent victim of the treacherous conditions that Americans continue to endure in Iraq. His sacrifice and the sacrifice of others like him will not soon be forgotten. My thoughts and prayers are with Dan and his family.”