S10638 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 19, 2008 

Gonzales, and Ron Hollingshead, the 

Colorado Drug Investigators Association continues to unite into one organization all Colorado peace officers and 

individuals committed to protecting 

the State from all drug-related crime. 

This organization provides comprehensive counternarcotics training for all 

members in all aspects of drug enforcement and continues to educate and recommend legislation favorable to effective drug enforcement in Colorado. It 

recognizes the critical importance of 

information exchange and actively facilitates this communication between 

members of the association on the 

movements of drug violators and new 

and innovative techniques used by either the criminals or law enforcement. 

In addition, the Colorado Drug Investigators Association, through cultural, 

legislative, political, fraternal, educational, charitable, welfare and social 

activities, fosters an atmosphere of cooperation and information sharing 

among all law enforcement in Colorado, private industry and the public. I 

believe the CDIA represents a valuable 

tool in the fight against drug-related 

crime and express my appreciation to 

all association members for their commitment to the safety and security for 

the citizens of Colorado. 

f 

LABOR DAY 

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, 

Labor Day is our opportunity to celebrate the millions of American workers 

who have given, and continue to give, 

so much of themselves to make our Nation great. I am happy to have had the 

opportunity to celebrate this Labor 

Day in Racine, WV, with many old 

friends. Today, on the holiday especially devoted to the social and economic achievements of the American 

workforce. I would like to thank all of 

the miners, teachers, nurses, service 

technicians, firefighters, police, repairmen, and all those who dedicate their 

lives to making their communities and 

their country a better place. As summer is winding down and children are 

preparing to go back to school, we 

should all take a moment to appreciate 

what working Americans do for us. 

Honest, hard-working people, with 

the core American values of faith and 

family, are what make West Virginia 

such a wonderful place to live and call 

home. Miners work long shifts, miles 

under the ground, often in tight spaces 

with frigid water up to their knees, to 

get the coal that provides 50 percent of 

our Nation’s electricity. Yet people 

rarely think of that when they flip on 

the light switch. Teachers spend much 

of their own personal time preparing 

lesson plans and finding creative ways 

to teach our next generation. They always go above and beyond the call of 

duty for their students. Those in public 

service work day in and day out to get 

Social Security checks processed and 

in the mail on time, to manage tax returns, or to deliver basic health services to our citizens. I applaud each and 

every one of these Americans. 

I am glad Congress succeeded, finally, this year in raising the minimum wage to $6.55, to help our working families. Increasing the minimum 

wage so it is a living wage is something 

I have advocated since 1998, and now all 

of our workers will get the increase 

they need and deserve to help make 

ends meet in this struggling economy. 

This Labor Day I am especially aware 

of the need to change the direction of 

our country and that has to start with 

turning around our economy. It is unfair for hard-working Americans to 

have to deal with stagnant wages and 

rising costs for gas, food, and health 

care with no help. The minimum wage 

will continue to rise until it reaches 

$7.25 in 2009. 

These workers are the heart and soul 

of West Virginia. Opportunities do not 

come easily to them. They work hard 

every day to get the things they need 

for their families—gas, school supplies, 

and maybe new sneakers or a pair of 

jeans for the next school year. Before 

the rise of unions, we did not enjoy a 

40-hour work week, the benefits of Social Security, or the right to organize. 

But West Virginians always fought for 

the American dream. They have a high 

regard for quality and strive for excellence in everything that they do. In an 

unfortunate Forbes survey, West Virginia was listed as one of the least desirable states in which to do business. 

But that is only because some companies do not yet know the men and 

women that make up West Virginia’s 

workforce; they do not realize that 

West Virginia’s future and potential is 

about more than just coal. They do not 

see the small business owners, the 

nurses and doctors, the educators, the 

entrepreneurs, the manufacturers, and 

artists who keep our State moving and 

make it so special. They must not have 

heard that companies from all over the 

world such as DuPont, Union Carbide, 

and Phone Poulenc have put plants in 

West Virginia and tapped into our dedicated work force. Northrop Grumman, 

MPL Corporation, Orrick, Herrington, 

and Sutcliffe, that’s the real West Virginia—with a bright future fueled by 

all its abundant resources, the most 

precious of which are the men and 

women of our workforce. Our Toyota 

plant is the fastest growing plant in 

the history of Toyota Motor Company. 

It has been named the plant with the 

most productive workers in all of 

North America 5 years in a row. This is 

a testament to West Virginia employees’ unmatched work ethic. 

As we celebrate Labor Day, we need 

to remember that it is the commitment and diligence of our workers that 

makes us great. We as West Virginians 

are fighters, always have been, always 

will be, but even fighters need a day 

off. West Virginians have earned a day 

of rest. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO BRENDAN O’CONNOR 

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, as we 

continue to debate national strategy 

and the way ahead in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is one thing that is not debatable, and that is the courage and 

valor of our troops. Today, I wish to 

honor one of those brave troops, MSgt 

Brendan O’Connor, a medic in the Special Forces of the U.S. Army. 

Master Sergeant O’Connor distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action during a fierce battle in 

Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, when 

his small detachment engaged an estimated 200 Taliban fighters on June 24, 

2006. For his heroism, Master Sergeant 

O’Connor, who held the rank of sergeant first class at the time of the battle, was honored with the Nation’s second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross. 

After awarding the Distinguished 

Service Cross to Brendan, ADM Eric 

Olson, the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, hailed the contributions of the Army’s Special Forces and 

said, ‘‘Master Sergeant Brendan O’Connor exemplifies the spirit of these warriors.’’ 

Leading a quick reaction force during 

a mission against Taliban leaders, Master Sergeant O’Connor and his team 

found themselves outnumbered and 

surrounded by hundreds of Taliban 

fighters in one of the most hotly contested areas of Afghanistan. After 

calmly maneuvering his force through 

enemy Taliban positions, Master Sergeant O’Connor crawled over 150 yards 

alone through enemy machine-gun fire 

across an open field to rescue two 

wounded comrades. Rallying and motivating his severely outnumbered team 

throughout a day-long battle, he saved 

the lives of 21 soldiers and prevented 

his detachment’s destruction while inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. 

The heroism of Brendan O’Connor 

and his team in Afghanistan received 

national media attention on the CBS 

News program ‘‘60 Minutes,’’ which 

aired a segment on April 20 of this 

year, ‘‘Ambush in Afghanistan.’’ 

Brendan O’Connor comes from a long 

and distinguished family history of 

military service to our Nation, with 

deep roots in the U.S. Army and at 

West Point. Brendan’s father, LTC 

Mortimer O’Connor, who graduated 

from West Point in 1953, was killed in 

action in Vietnam in 1968 while leading 

men into battle as commander of the 

1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry, in the 

famed ‘‘Big Red One,’’ the oldest continuously serving division in the U.S. 

Army. 

A true ‘‘warrior-poet’’, Mort O’Connor was not only decorated several 

times for valor on the battlefield, but 

taught English at West Point and 

earned a graduate degree in English literature from the University of Pennsylvania. A remembrance of Mort 

O’Connor in a March 1978 West Point 

Alumni publication recalled his spirit 

on the athletic fields as a young cadet: 

When victorious he would exultantly claim 

to be descended from ancient Irish warrior 

kings. And it may be true, for he had in him 

a wild romanticism, a tragic lilt of heart, 

which only the Irish have. 


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November 19, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10639 

Brendan O’Connor’s grandfather, and 

Mort O’Connor’s father, was BG William ‘‘Bill’’ O’Connor, a graduate of 

West Point in 1924. Bill O’Connor 

served in Europe in World War II, including in the Battle of the Bulge. 

And three of Brendan’s great-uncles 

followed their brother Bill to West 

Point—Richard O’Connor in the Class 

of 1926, George Brendan O’Connor in 

the Class of 1936, and Roderic O’Connor 

in the Class of 1941. 

Today, the O’Connor family tradition 

of military service continues with the 

next generation. Attending his Distinguished Service Cross award ceremony 

on April 30th were two of Brendan’s 

cousins, Brian O’Connor, who is now at 

the Air Force Academy, and Rory 

O’Connor, who is now at West Point. 

We are grateful to families such as 

the O’Connors, who for generations 

have answered the Nation’s call and 

worn the uniform with such courage 

and distinction. There is no finer example of this tradition than MSgt 

Brendan O’Connor and his heroic action in Afghanistan. I ask unanimous 

consent to have the full text of his Distinguished Service Cross citation, as 

well as the narrative that accompanies 

the award, printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

CITATION TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD OF THE

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS TO SERGEANT

FIRST CLASS BRENDAN W. O’CONNOR

For extraordinary heroism in combat as 

the senior Medical Sergeant for Special 

Forces Operational Detachment Alpha-765 in 

support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 

Panjwai District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. On 24 June 2006, during Operation 

Kaika, Sergeant O’Connor led a quick reaction force to reinforce a surrounded patrol 

and to rescue two wounded comrades. He maneuvered his force through Taliban positions 

and crawled alone, under enemy machinegun 

fire to reach the wounded soldiers. He provided medical care, while exposed to heavy 

volumes of Taliban fire, then carried one of 

the wounded 150 meters across open ground 

to an area of temporary cover. He climbed 

over a wall three times, in plain view of the 

enemy, to assist the wounded soldiers to 

cover while bullets pounded the structure 

around him. Sergeant O’Connor assumed duties as the detachment operations Sergeant 

and led the consolidation of three friendly 

elements, each surrounded, isolated, and receiving fire from all directions. His remarkable actions are in keeping with the highest 

traditions of military heroism and reflect 

distinct credit upon himself, the Combined 

Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, 

Special Operations Command-Central, and 

the United States Army. 

NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD OF THE

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS TO SERGEANT

FIRST CLASS BRENDAN W. O’CONNOR

Sergeant First Class Brendan W. O’Connor, 

United States Army, distinguished himself 

by extraordinary heroism in action as the 

Senior Medical Sergeant for Special Forces 

Operational Detachment Alpha-765 in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. On 

24 June 2006, while conducting Operation 

KAIKA, a cordon and search mission to capture or kill Taliban leadership in Pashmul, 

Panjwai District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, the detachment became engaged 

with an estimated 200 Taliban fighters. MSG 

Thomas Maholic led a patrol from the detachment’s perimeter to secure a compound 

situated on key terrain. As the assault 

began, a large Taliban force 

counterattacked, flooded the battlefield, and 

immediately separated the assault element 

from SSG Matthew Binney’s support by fire 

position, creating two distinct detachment 

elements outside the perimeter, each isolated, surrounded, and receiving enemy fire 

from all directions. SSG Binney and SGT Joseph Feurst were seriously wounded at the 

support by fire position. SFC O’Connor volunteered to lead a quick reaction force to reinforce MSG Maholic in the compound, and 

recover the two wounded soldiers. SFC 

O’Connor departed the detachment’s perimeter under heavy enemy fire, with SFC 

Mishra, eight Afghan soldiers and an interpreter. By employing fire and maneuver, 

SFC O’Connor destroyed an enemy machinegun position, broke out from the encircled 

patrol base, and evaded enemy fighters that 

were now swarming toward the compound. 

After link-up with MSG Maholic, SFC O’Connor was directed toward the support-by-fire 

position. He led his small relief force along a 

wall that provided cover from the heavy volume of machinegun and rocket-propelled 

grenade fire, as they evaded attackers and 

broke out from the encircled compound. At 

the end of the wall, he encountered an open 

field, 80 meters across to a small building, 

which was the next available covered position. The flat field was covered by enemy 

grazing fire from three directions. He established a support-by-fire position to suppress 

enemy machinegun fire and began to crawl, 

alone, across the field, leaving a third isolated element amid the chaos of the battlefield. Afghan soldiers attempted to follow 

him but turned back under the extraordinary 

volume of fire. As bullets impacted all 

around him and cut the grass directly over 

his body, he quickly realized that his cumbersome load was creating too large a target 

for the enemy. He returned to the cover of 

the wall and removed his body armor and assault pack. Informed that Apache gunships 

were en route to strafe the area he was attempting to crawl through, SFC O’Connor 

attached an orange panel to his back in 

order to mark himself as a friendly element 

to the pilots. Without hesitation he immediately resumed crawling the 80 meters 

across the field, in plain sight of the enemy, 

toward his two wounded comrades. He moved 

slowly, just inches below the enemy fire, miraculously escaping injury from hundreds of 

Taliban machinegun rounds. He jumped over 

a wall into a vineyard and moved forward 

along mounds of dirt, with bullets impacting 

all around him each time he exposed himself. 

He continued moving alone, for 150 meters, 

yelling for SSG Binney. Once again, he 

evaded enemy fighters that were as near as 3 

meters, and were firing over a wall and 

shouting insults and threats at the surrounded position, and made contact with his 

wounded teammates. SFC O’Connor fought 

with his personal weapon, performed life-saving measures on the two wounded soldiers in 

the open, exposed to enemy fire, shielding 

the casualties from debris and shrapnel with 

his own body, and gave instructions to begin 

the evacuation. As an Afghan soldier assisted SSG Binney, SFC O’Connor picked up 

SGT Feurst and began carrying him, unassisted, back to the cover of the small building 150 meters away. He dodged rocket-propelled grenade and machinegun fire, while 

methodically maneuvering from one covered 

position to another, without the benefit of 

his protective body armor, carrying the unconscious SGT Feurst. He climbed over a two 

meter high wall, into the building, as bullets 

pounded the wall all around him. The frightened Afghan soldiers were unable to assist in 

lifting SGT Feurst over the wall, which required SFC O’Connor to climb back over the 

wall in the face of heavy, accurate, enemy 

fire. He lifted and pushed SGT Feurst over 

the wall, assisted SSG Binney over by offering his own body as step, and climbed over a 

third time himself, while a storm of bullets 

began disintegrating the structure around 

him. As Apache gunships suppressed the 

enemy, SFC O’Connor led the group from the 

surrounded building, while still under fire, 

back toward the quick reaction force. He 

then led his entire force back toward MSG 

Maholic’s compound. He engaged enemy 

fighters and broke through to link up with 

the last of the isolated elements. Inside the 

compound, he learned that MSG Maholic had 

been killed. SFC O’Connor assumed duties as 

Detachment Operations Sergeant and continued coordinating the defense of the compound against renewed Taliban attacks. He 

supervised all medical treatment of the casualties, coordinated the medical evacuation 

flight and organized the movement of ammunition from the resupply aircraft. After 

nightfall, under SFC O’Connor’s leadership, 

the group broke out once again from their 

isolated location and moved undetected 

through Taliban positions to reunite all 

friendly elements at the detachment’s patrol 

base. SFC O’Connor’s extraordinary actions, 

performed at tremendous risk of life, successfully rescued two wounded comrades, 

saved the lives of 21 soldiers, and prevented 

his detachment’s destruction. He consolidated four friendly elements, each isolated 

and surrounded by an aggressive, numerically superior, and well armed enemy force 

during the confusion of combat, and brought 

all soldiers to safety. The heroic accomplishments of Sergeant First Class Brendan W. 

O’Connor reflect great credit upon himself, 

the Combined Joint Special Operations Task 

Force-Afghanistan, Special Operations Command-Central, and the United States Army. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO LINDA LONG 

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I 

wish to recognize a former staffer, 

Linda K. Long, for her wonderful contributions to my office and to the 

State of Tennessee. 

Linda began her career with Senator 

Fred Thompson in 1995 and joined my 

staff on January 21, 2003, where she 

soon distinguished herself as one of the 

best constituent services representatives in the State of Tennessee. 

Linda was a wealth of knowledge 

when it came to working with constituents and their problems. Although 

she took a very ‘‘no nonsense’’ approach to her job, she was very compassionate and always made time to 

listen to constituents and console them 

even if she could not help them with 

their issue. 

Linda is loved and respected by people throughout west Tennessee. In fact, 

she served two terms on the Madison 

County Commission from 1994 to 2002. 

There is no doubt that Linda went 

above and beyond to help all constituents. She was tough, but fair, and always had time for anyone who asked 

for assistance through my office. Linda 

retired on February 29, 2008, and we 

miss her already. 


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