Thomas Daschle: “2 weeks ago, in the Black Hill National Cemetery, SD, SSG Cory Brooks was laid to rest. A member of the South Dakota…”

“2 weeks ago, in the Black Hill National Cemetery, SD, SSG Cory Brooks was laid to rest. A member of the South Dakota National Guard, Sergeant Brooks died in Iraq in late April, and his friends and family gathered to remember his laughter, his joyful spirit, and his love of country. Among the mourners was a man Cory Brooks had never met, Pat Red Fox. Mr. Red Fox came as a representative of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Six months earlier, the tribe had suffered the loss of PVT Sheldon Hawk Eagle, who died when his Black Hawk helicopter collided with another above Mosul. The families of Sheldon Hawk Eagle and Cory Brooks had little in common on the surface. But each passed along the values of service and patriotism to their children. With pride and sorrow, each said good-bye as their loved ones were shipped overseas. And each prayed that Sheldon and Cory would complete their mission unharmed. Today, they are bound to one another in mourning. And so to acknowledge this bond, this sacred bond that transcends all apparent differences, the family of Sheldon Hawk Eagle sent Pat Red Fox to Cory Brooks' funeral with one of the most valued gifts in the Sioux tradition--a star quilt bearing the colors of our Nation, and the Sioux symbol representing the immortality of the soul and the connection between the living and the dead. During the upcoming recess, our Nation will commemorate Memorial Day with a special unity, immediacy, and poignancy.”