2006 press releases Memorial Service Held In Basra, Iraq For Embassy Contractor Killed Friday BASRA, IRAQ September 26, 2006

BASRA, IRAQ – Friends and colleagues of a U.S. State Department contractor killed during a September 22 rocket attack at the U.S. Regional Embassy Office in Basra gathered for a memorial service held there today. During the memorial service, U.S. Embassy Baghdad Deputy Chief of Mission Daniel Speckhard remarked that the man “exhibited a love for his work, love for his colleagues and above all, love for his country.” “Despite the risks, he was eager to serve where his country needed him,” Speckhard said. “[He] personally embodied many of the best humanitarian impulses that have guided our liberation of Iraq and our subsequent efforts to rebuild a country torn asunder by three decades of tyranny.” Speckhard said that the Embassy community will “never forget the ways in which he gave selflessly to his friends, colleagues, his country, and the people of Iraq” and that he “will not be forgotten by those lives he touched, nor by his grateful nation.” Funeral arrangements are being handled privately by family members in the United States. Out of respect for the family during their time of mourning, additional details will not be released.

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