CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt
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10584 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 8 June 8, 2006 the Korean War. George Dunne began Secretary of State, the Honorable Bur- clear to me, Corporal Eric Lueken em- his public service career as a park su- ton Naturus, Alderman and committee- bodied the very best of what makes pervisor at a Lake Michigan play- man of the 42nd Ward, and the honor- this country great. Corporal Lueken’s ground, and went on to a series of posi- able Walter Burnett, alderman of the sacrifice, his commitment to his faith, tions with the Chicago Park District. 27th Ward. his family, and his country was unwav- He was elected to the Illinois House Mr. Speaker, I am sure that they ering. of Representative in 1955 and elevated would join with me and countless oth- Semper Fidelis, always faithful, at to House Majority Leader in 1961. In ers of saying thanks to his family for home, in Afghanistan, and Iraq. South- 1962 he was elected to the Cook County sharing with all of us a tremendous ern Indiana has lost a remarkable Board and 7 years later he was elected elected official, politician, but most of young man. My thoughts and prayers to the position of President of the all a gentleman and a humanitarian. are with the Lueken family and with Board. George served in that position f all of many men and women of the for 31 years, until his retirement in United States Armed Forces who de- HONORING CORPORAL ERIC R. 1990. fend liberty around the world. LUEKEN In addition to his government serv- f Mr. SODREL. Mr. Speaker, I would ice, George held responsible posts in DEMOCRATS PLAN FOR A WAY like to claim the time of Ms. FOXX. the Cook County Democratic Party. He FORWARD IN IRAQ was Democratic committeeman of the The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without 42nd Ward on Chicago’s north side for objection, the gentleman from Indiana The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under more than 40 years, and as chairman of is recognized for 5 minutes. the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- the Cook County Democratic Party for There was no objection. uary 4, 2005, the gentleman from Cali- all but 5 years from 1976 to his retire- Mr. SODREL. Mr. Speaker, I rise fornia (Mr. SCHIFF) is recognized for ment in 1990. today to honor a young man, a Marine half the time until midnight as the des- George Dunne was present at many of from my district who served with the ignee of the minority leader. Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, there have the great historical landmark events of 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, been too many dark days in Iraq of his day. He was with Colonel Jacob 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expe- late, but today is not one of them. The Arvey at the 1984 Democratic Conven- ditionary Force in Iraq. removal of Abu Musab al Zarqawi is a tion in Philadelphia for the nomination Corporal Eric R. Lueken of Dubois, Indiana joined the Marines in 2003. He welcome event. of Harry Truman. Zarqawi was a blood thirsty thug and served in Afghanistan from November 20 years later he was with Mayor an indiscriminate killer of innocent 2004 to June 2005. On March 11, 2006, he Richard J. Daley at the 1968 Demo- men, women and children. All Ameri- left for service in Iraq. Eric grew up on cratic Convention for the nomination cans join in congratulating the Amer- the family poultry farm, played bas- of Hubert Humphrey. ican military and the Iraqi people for ketball at Northeast Dubois High However, Mr. Speaker, for me those their success in tracking, finding and School, and joined the Marines because are not the events I remember. When I eliminating the most vicious terrorist he wanted to do something he could be remember George Dunne, I remember in Iraq. 1983 when Harold Washington won the proud of. It is too early to predict what the ef- Democratic nomination for Mayor of Corporal Leuken’s mother, Melinda fect of the elimination of Zarqawi will Chicago. The Democratic Party began Lueken, said he wanted to achieve have on the counterinsurgency effort to split along racial lines, with some something for himself and he did. He that the Iraqi and coalition forces are white Democrats turning to oppose the was just a country boy. He liked hunt- engaged in. nominee of their own party. ing and fishing. But he wanted to do On the one hand there is ample his- George Dunne was one of those who something with his life and he did not torical evidence that eliminating ter- resisted such splitting tactics and sup- want to always stick around here in rorist and insurgent leaders does not ported Harold Washington, including the little town of Dubois. necessarily cripple their movements. what was to become immortalized in Lueken’s fiance´e, Ericka Merkel, New leaders rise up to take their one famous photograph, marching arm said, ‘‘Once he joined the Marine Corps, places. In the Iraqi case, however, in arm with Washington at the St. Pat- all of his needs, they were second. Ev- Zarqawi’s form of jihad, which has re- rick’s Day Parade. erybody else’s needs were first. He sulted in the slaughter of so many in- I remember the depth of the crisis at never put himself first.’’ Even in Iraq nocent civilians has alienated most Cook County Hospital when George he said, ‘‘I am praying for you.’’ He was Iraqis and helped to foster reported Dunne, became President of the Cook never praying for himself. back-channel negotiations between the County Board. At one time Cook Coun- This Memorial Day, Mr. Speaker, U.S., the Iraqi Government and some of ty Hospital had been a model for public adds special meaning for me. Corporal the insurgent groups over the past few health institutions. But by the early Lueken was killed on April 22, 2006 months. 1970s, many were calling for the closing when his convoy was the target of an Whether the confluence of Zarqawi’s of the hospital. improvised explosive device in Iraq’s death and the completion of the new Today we would call it privatization Anbar Province. Iraqi cabinet can accelerate the pros- of the hospital. Eventually, President Corporal Lueken was a field radio op- pects for some kind of more open nego- Dunne put aside his political predi- erator. He was only 23 years old. Mr. tiations remains to be seen. Especially lections and hired a radical young doc- Speaker, I attended the memorial serv- as the sectarian violence that Zarqawi tor, Dr. Quentin Young to lead the De- ices for Corporal Lueken and witnessed sought has continued to grow in recent partment of Medicine, a move which an incredible outpouring of affection months. today is generally created with saving and gratitude from the people of Even as we celebrate Zarqawi’s death the hospital. Dubois County, Indiana, from the peo- and recall the horrors he perpetrated, Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that we ple who knew Eric best. the videotaped beheadings of helpless mortals should make final judgement The Marine Honor Guard, Marine hostages, the mass casualty suicide on the life of other mortals, but when Corps Association, VFW, American Le- bombings of Shiite mosques, and the we reflect on the life of George Dunne, gion and other Armed Services mem- horrific destruction of the UN head- I hope that these qualities and actions bers, current and past, traveled great quarters, we cannot turn away from are among those which are never for- distances to show their respect and the grim reality, that the war the gotten. support for his friends, his fiance´e and President declared over in the spring of Several of his proteges are integral his family. 2003 has been bloodier, costlier, longer parts of Illinois and Chicago politics, Like so many young men and women and more difficult than the administra- such as the Honorable Jesse White, who choose to serve our country, it is tion anticipated or planned for. VerDate Sep 11 2014 09:14 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00209 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR08JN06.DAT BR08JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE June 8, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 8 10585 We need a new way forward in Iraq, use of force against Iraq because of the In Baghdad, Shiite units, some of and that is what we would like to talk threat that Saddam Hussein had stock- them nominally under the control of about tonight. The Democratic ideas piles of chemical and biological weap- the Ministry of Interior, have acted as for a new way forward in Iraq are part ons, and because we were told he had death squads, and the streets of the of an overall effort to reconfigure an active nuclear weapons program. capital have become a dumping ground America’s security for the 21st Cen- If you go back and look at the debate for bodies. tury, a plan we call Real Security. in the House and Senate, this was a de- We have a moral obligation to do Earlier this spring, Members of our cision taken by the Congress to pre- what we can to avoid having Iraq spiral party from both the House and the vent Iraq from acquiring and using or into all-out civil war. But now is the Senate unveiled a comprehensive blue- transferring nuclear weapons. time for Iraqis themselves to decide print to better protect America and re- Months later as American forces whether they wish to be one country.