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Floor Speech

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Ms. DUCKWORTH. Madam President, I come to the floor today to honor my friend CWO5 Joseph Lemens II, who we lost suddenly in November.

Joe worked as hard as he laughed. He was full of energy and empty of ego. In many ways, he was the epitome of what a ``Soldier,'' with a capital ``S,'' should be.

He was dedicated to service--service to his most beloved and to those with whom he was barely acquainted, service to his dearest neighbors in Illinois and to total strangers throughout his four deployments to the Middle East.

Joe first enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves when he was just 17 years old and then served continually for the next 42 years until his retirement last March. His work ethic was tireless, and sacrifices he made for his Nation were immeasurable. He was selfless and giving. He would be the first one to offer to lend a hand, and then would refuse to accept payment for his good deed.

He seemed quiet until you got to know him. Then his laugh made you laugh so hard that, eventually, you forgot why you were both laughing at all.

As a fellow pilot, I especially appreciated the way he gravitated toward machines, the way he loved having the power of an engine, whether it be a snowmobile or a Black Hawk helicopter, at his fingertips. As his commanding officer for my years as a Mad Dog, I couldn't have asked for a better maintenance test pilot, although I always questioned the sanity of anyone who would fly broken helicopters on purpose.

I considered myself lucky that Joe was a member of our battalion when we were in Iraq. Maintenance officers, you see, and especially those like Joe, are a rare commodity, and Joe was one of the best.

When we got back to U.S. soil, after I was wounded and could no longer get from point A to point B like I used to, I was even luckier to have Joe show up at my house one day with his toolbox in tow, ready to remodel my home to make it completely wheelchair accessible.

He combined the grit of a midwesterner with the grace of faith. He combined the resilience of a soldier with the brilliance of an engineer. I know he will be dearly missed. He already is. My thoughts are with his wife Kathryn and his children and his newborn grandson Joe Lemens IV, whom he was able to see. I thank them for sharing Joe with us for all those years and for their own service to our great Nation.

We will all miss Joe, but we will forever catch an echo of his larger-than-life laugh whenever we hear his favorite sound: the smooth rumble of a well-cared-for engine.

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