By Jim Marshall SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAPH These are the remarks of Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Macon, delivered during the funeral service for Army Sgt. 1st Class Victor Anderson. I would like to thank you all for coming here to support this family, particularly those of you who came without obligation, who came despite having no connection to the family. You come solely to honor and pay respect to a soldier and family that has sacrificed so much for us. Those who show respect deserve respect. You have mine. This is the fifth service I have attended for servicemen from Middle Georgia killed in Iraq: • Army Sgt. Tyrone Crockett, 27, of Soperton, killed July 14, 2003, • Army Pfc. William "Ra-Ra" Strange, 19, of Adrian, killed April 2, 2004, • Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Chris Dickerson, 33, of Eastman, killed April 30, 2004, • Marine Sgt. Kelley Courtney, 28, of Macon, killed Oct. 30, 2004. And now Army Sgt. 1st Class Victor Anderson, 39, of Ellaville, killed July 30, 2005. Victor Anderson, father, husband, son, servant. Victor Anderson being laid to rest in Andersonville, in hallowed ground, alongside the remains of nearly 13,000 soldiers who fought for their country, their communities, their fellow soldiers. I was privileged to give last year's Andersonville Memorial Day address. I felt more adequate for that task than I do for this one. Recalling the sacrifice of those long dead simply does not evoke the same emotions, the same sense of immediate loss felt here today. Victor's death is too recent for the healing salve of time. For many it still seems unreal, a dream, a bad nightmare that will pass. But it won't. Sgt. 1st Class Victor Anderson is gone from us forever, a death too young, a loss that steals happiness from loved ones and leaves, for some, a void that time may never fill. That's why I feel so inadequate expressing our nation's condolences to Ellen, to Tyler and Jessica, to Belinda and Billy, to Victor's other relatives and friends. Victor's loss is so immediate, the emotions so raw, the future without him, so uncertain. Nearly all humans will go to great lengths to avoid combat. Anyone from a war generation knows that. Even the vast majority of soldiers shirk combat if they can. Not Victor. Everyone here knows he was medically disqualified from the Iraq deployment because of his diabetes. No dishonor in that. Ninety-nine-point-something-percent of humans and most soldiers would have been relieved. Not Victor. He fought his disqualification. He wanted to be deployed for combat. Why? To do his duty. To be with his men. He knew he might make the difference between their success or failure, between them living or dying. Listen to what Victor said about it days before his death in an e-mail to his family: "I do not serve to help others. I serve because of those guys to my left and right. They are men of their word. They took an oath to defend our country. They are why I came here, not some ideology. They stepped up and did not run and hide when our country called. Whether you believe in this war or not, believe in them." Those are the words of a soldier. Let the politicians decide what must be done. Fight for duty. Be there for your brothers in arms. It's a code as old as civilization. I've seen a lot of combat, a lot of shooting. And just like Victor, I talk about who steps up and who doesn't. Most don't. Victor did. And like most soldiers, he didn't fight for an ideology, he didn't judge whether the fight was right or wrong. Jihadists do that - fight and die for an ideology - convinced it is the one truth. But the vast majority of humans are tolerant, not extremists. They humbly recognize the limits of human wisdom. Without men and women like Victor, intolerance, extremism and evil would dominate our world and fundamentally alter or crush open societies like ours. Victor defended us as a deputy sheriff. He defended us as a soldier. When called upon, he did his duty. Victor stepped up. And I can tell you without even knowing him that in doing his duty, Victor would lead, would take the risk rather than asking others to do it. I would like to have known him, to have had him in my recon platoon in Vietnam, to have had him take my back. There's no greater compliment a soldier can pay. So many questions cannot be answered: Why Victor? Why that day, that place, that way? And as always there are an infinite number of "what if" questions. What if the general had been smarter? What if we'd had better pre-war intelligence? What if we hadn't disbanded the Iraqi armed forces and police? What if we'd secured those ammo dumps? What's certain is this. If perfect leaders, perfect plans and perfect armies are the prerequisites to action, then we will never act in our own defense. Religious intolerance and jihadist extremism will diminish with time. That can't happen too soon in a world growing smaller and more interdependent. Until it does, we will have to protect ourselves and our interests. We will need the sacrifices of soldiers like Victor. For the moment, America and the world face a huge and growing threat that must be addressed. We will learn from both our successes and our mistakes. And we will prevail so long as the American people remain patient, strong and resolved. We owe no less to Victor Anderson, his family and others who have sacrificed so much in this effort. Let me end by sharing with you my version of the last verse of an old, old song from central Europe, first composed about 1,000 years ago: A soldier buried long ago on a battlefield hears lovers laughing as they pass by. And the soldier asks "Are these not the voices of lovers that love and remember me?" "Not so, my hero," reply the lovers. "We are those that remember not for the spring has come and the earth has smiled, and the dead must be forgotten."Then the soldier speaks again from the deep, dark grave, "I am content." God bless you Sgt. 1st Class Anderson. You should be content. You and others like you gave your "lives that this nation might live." God bless your family who bear such disproportionate burden for our sake. God bless those in attendance today. And God bless the United States of America. Jim Marshall represents the 3rd Congressional District
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