Chaplain Captain Jeff Struecker
3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regim
Fort Bragg, NC
Sponsor: Rep. Rep. Mac Collins, (R-GA)
Date of Prayer: 07/23/2002
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to introduce Captain Jeff Struecker , Chaplain, United States Army, 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Chaplain Jeff Struecker was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He entered the Army as an enlisted soldier in September, 1987. He attended basic training, AIT, airborne school, and the Ranger Indoctrination Program at Fort Benning, Georgia.
His combat experience includes participation in Operation Just Cause in Panama, Operation Iris Gold in Kuwait, and Operation Gothic Serpent, UNOSOM Two, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Mr. Speaker, Captain Struecker served in the United States Army as an enlisted soldier until April of 2000. Afterward he entered the Chaplain Officers Basic Course. While serving in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sergeant Struecker was involved in a 17–hour firefight which was later portrayed in the book and movie ‘‘Black Hawk Down.'' As a teenager, Jeff Struecker accepted Christ as his Savior. His faith was strengthened in Mogadishu as Captain Struecker recounted, and I quote, "In the middle of that firefight, I had to decide whether I believed what I say I believe. And when I finally answered that question, my faith became so strong, it gave me the strength to fight for the rest of the night."
Captain Struecker has received many awards and citations for his bravery, including the Bronze Star with the V device. He and his wife, Dawn, reside in Linden, North Carolina, with their five children, Aaron, Jacob, Joseph, Abigail, and Lydia.
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to have Chaplain Jeff Struecker as Chaplain today in the United States House of Representatives.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Almighty God and Father of my Savior,
I lift up to You these men and women that You have selected to serve this great nation.
I pray that You would etch onto the soul of every man and woman here the awesome sense of responsibility for the office that they hold. And the weight of that thought would drive them to their knees, every morning seeking Your leadership, as they lead this nation, especially right now, with America’s sons and daughters at war.
I pray that You would also balance that serious sense of responsibility with the pleasure of knowing that they are serving as Your appointed leaders in the greatest nation on earth.
Father, finally I pray that You will protect those men and women who are right now involved with this war on terrorism. Give them Your peace, Your presence and Your protection. I pray. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory