Memorial in Honor of Sergeant Jeffrey Baker

May 22, 2013

Mr. Speaker, Last week the EOD community lost one of its best and brightest. Sergeant First Class Jeffrey Baker was killed one week ago today in an IED explosion that killed four of his fellow soldiers and injured multiple others. Sergeant First Class Baker was assigned to the 766th EOD Company out of Fort Stewart, Georgia and was serving in Sanjaray, Afghanistan, at the time of his death. EOD soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are the preeminent explosive experts in our armed forces. Our joint EOD forces lead the fight against the use of IEDs and protect their fellow service-members and our interests both at home and abroad. Too often, the lives of these brave men and women are claimed by the very devices they are trained to neutralize. Sergeant First Class Baker gave his life along with four of his fellow soldiers in defense of our freedoms. It is important that we honor their sacrifice and the sacrifices by those who came before them. Next week, as the Nation honors the veterans who have given their lives for this country, it is important that we take time to recognize the risks our troops take on our behalf every day and the need to support our veterans and their families. Jeffrey Baker was from Hesperia, California and was just 29 years old. He is survived by his wife and his young daughter. My thoughts and prayers are with Jeffrey's entire family, the families of his fellow soldiers who were killed, and the soldiers recovering from the blast. God bless our armed forces and God bless the United States of America.