mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, i rise to pay tribute to a young woman from owensboro, kentucky, who lost her life while in the service of her country. u.s. navy lieutenant commander jane lanham tafoya was assigned to the naval command health clinic in bahrain in support of iraqi freedom. she died from non-combat related causes on september 19, 2006. she was 43 years old. for her heroic service,

lieutenant commander tafoya received many awards, medals and decorations, including the navy and marine corps commendation medal with gold star, the navy and marine corps achievement medal, the national defense service medal with bronze star, the global war on terrorism service medal, the armed forces reserve medal and the navy pistol shot medal with sharpshooter device. lieutenant commander tafoya served for 18 years in the navy. before her assignment in bahrain she served at the naval hospital and naval reserve center in philadelphia, the tphaefl hospital at -- naval hospital at camp lejeune, north carolina, abbored the u.s.s. ronald reagan and the tphaeft medicine unit 2 in be norfolk, virginia.

in bahrain she was working as a dental hygiene any of the. she was a -- hygienist. she was a graduate of temple university. her mother remembers jane as a smart student who enjoyed learning, got all a's in school and loved to read. in high school, jane played softball and volleyball and she was on the murray state intra mural bowling team. a sr*eu -- a sr eu s said jane loved to travel. avis said of her daughter, whenever something negative was said about a person, jane would respond with, "well, nobody's pefrbg." mr. president we're thinking of jane's loved one, including her husband john, her daughters, rachel and natalie, her mother

avis lan ham, her brother and sister-in-law, her sister and brother-in-law phyllis and kenny and many other beloved family members and friends. jane was preceded in death by her father, marvin bill lanham. today the senate honors this loving wife, mother and daughter for her long career of service. and we salute the sacrifice that lieutenant commander jane lanham tafoya made half a world away from her natives owensboro home on behalf of a very grateful nation. mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.