Senate
  
HONORING ARMY STAFF SERGEANT JEREMY DOYLE

      Mr Bayh: Mr. President I rise today with a heavy heart and deep sense of gratitude to honor the life of a brave soldier who attended high school in Indianapolis and whose family resides in Pocomoke City, MD.  Jeremy Doyle, twenty-four years old, died on August 18, 2005 when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Samarra, Iraq.  With so much of his life left before him, Jeremy risked everything to fight for the values Americans hold close to our hearts, in a land halfway around the world.
      Although he did not call Martinsville home, Jeremy's impact on the town was demonstrated by the hundreds of families who lined the town's streets for three and one-half miles as his funeral procession wound through downtown.  At the funeral, family members remembered Jeremy as a jokester and a soldier who deeply loved his family and the U.S. military.  A commander of an armed humvee, Jeremy was on his second tour of duty in Iraq having returned to Iraq after being slightly wounded last spring while he tried to deactivate an explosive.  His uncle Joey told the crowd gathered at Jeremy's funeral service, "(Jeremy) will forever be my hero."  I stand here today to express the same feelings of pride and gratitude for this young man's sacrifice and those made by his family on behalf of our country.
      Jeremy was killed while serving his country in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia.  This brave young soldier leaves behind his wife, Leah McGinnis Doyle, his mother Debbie Grove: and his father Johny Doyle, and his only sister, Cameron Doyle, and nephew Bryston Massey.
      Today I join Jeremy's family and friends in mourning his death.  While we struggle to bear our sorrow over this loss, we can also take pride in the example he set, bravely fighting to make the world a safer place.  It is his courage and strength of character that people will remember when they think of Jeremy, a memory that will burm brightly during these continuing days of conflict and grief.
      Jeremy was known for his dedication to his family and his love of country.  Today and always, Jeremy will be remembered by family members, friends and fellow Hoosiers as a true American Hero and we honor the sacrifice he made while dutifully serving his country.
      As I serch for words to do justice in honoring Jeremy's sacrifice.  I am reminded of President Lincoln's remarks as he addressed the families of the fallen soldiers in Gettysburg.  "We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.  The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here. have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.  The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."  This statement is just as true today as it was nearly 150 years ago as I am certain that the impact of Jeremy's actions will live on for longer than any record of these words.
      It is my sad duty to enter the name of Jeremy Doyle in the official record of the United States Senate for his service to his country and for his profound commitment to freedom, democracy and peace.  When I think about this just cause in which we are engaged, and the unfortunate pain that comes with the loss of our heroes, I hope that families like Jeremy's can find comfort in the words of the prophet Isaiah who said, "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces."
      May God grant strength and peace to those who mourn, and may God be with all of you, as I know He is with Jeremy.