Steve Stockman: “I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I attended this young man's funeral and started…”

“I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I attended this young man's funeral and started hearing stories about him, and one of the things that was really moving was that he lost his mother when he was 12. He went on to get bone cancer and survived bone cancer, and then last spring, he was assigned to Afghanistan, after he volunteered to join the military to make something of his life. As we know, we have no greater respect or love for someone than to lay down your life, and that is exactly what Keith did, he laid down his life. At his funeral, his friends were gathered there in honor of him, but in truth, the whole Nation owes him a debt of gratitude for his service. Given all the rough times he had through his life, he wanted to make something great of his life, and he did that. Unfortunately, he gave the ultimate sacrifice, but I, for one, am very honored that we can remember him in a way that he wasn't remembered earlier in life. I include for the Record a brief bio on Spc. Grace: Spc. Keith Erin Grace Jr. was killed in action on August 11, 2013. Spc. Grace was killed near the town of Dzadran, which is in the Khost province near the Pakistan border in southern Afghanistan and a site of repeated insurgent activity. Grace joined the Army in January 2012 and was stationed in Fort Campbell in May of last year. The 4th Brigade Combat Team, a unit of the 101st Airborne, was deployed to Iraq this spring.…”