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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Pierluisi Pays Homage to Puerto Rican Soldier

FAJARDO, PUERTO RICO- Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi today honored Carlos Evans, a Marine Corps sergeant who was gravely wounded last year in Afghanistan and with whom Pierluisi has developed a close relationship.

“It has been a year since I had the privilege of first meeting Sergeant Evans, a young Marine who has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and who was wounded during his fourth tour of duty. I met him at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, when he arrived home to the United States from Afghanistan. No words can properly express the gratitude I feel for Sergeant Evans and for the sacrifice he has made for our nation,” said the Resident Commissioner.

Pierluisi has visited Sergeant Evans on three occasions, including when Evans was transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

As a show of appreciation to Sergeant Evans, the Resident Commissioner presented him with an encased United States flag that was in his office during his first year and a half in the House of Representatives. Traditionally, Members of Congress honor outstanding constituents by presenting them with a flag that has flown over the U.S. Capitol on a particular day, but Pierluisi wanted to give Sergeant Evans something unique and of greater personal significance.

Sergeant Evans, a father of two children, served three tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan, where he suffered wounds from an improvised explosive device that resulted in the loss of his left hand and both of his legs.

Today, Sergeant Evans was recognized by Pierluisi and Aníbal Melendez, the mayor of Fajardo, Sergeant Evans’ hometown.

“This is a simple token of our appreciation for a son of Puerto Rico who has made an incredible sacrifice for our freedom,” said Pierluisi.