[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: November 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        TRIBUTE TO KATRINA MUMAW

                                 ______


                     HON. HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 29, 1994

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Katrina Mumaw of 
Lancaster, CA, an 11-year-old pilot, on being the first child to break 
the speed of sound.
  At the age of 8, Katrina became the youngest person to fly ``Sport-
Combat'' which is real air-to-air dogfights using planes with 
electronic signals for bullets. Katrina soon became the youngest ace in 
this type of flying. At the age of 9, Katrina became the leading 
scorer, and to this day she is still unsurpassed, regardless of age. In 
addition to being the first American child to pilot a MiG-29 jet 
fighter, Katrina is also the first child to ever fly a Russian military 
jet.
  Aside from Katrina's aviation accomplishments, she still finds time 
to talk with youngsters about making their dreams a reality, as well as 
staying drug free. Katrina has said that she would rather ``see kids 
high on aviation, not on drugs.''
  As an A-student, she is very active in school and extracurricular 
activities, such as Tae Kwon Do and Gymnastics. Her goals for the 
future include attending the U.S. Air Force Academy, becoming an 
Astronaut, and leading the first mission to Mars.
  I applaud Katrina for being an inspiration to all Americans. I wish 
her well on her journey into the future and look forward to hearing 
about her next amazing accomplishment.
  I request that a speech written by Katrina be entered into the Record 
for my colleagues to read. Please join me in recognizing this 
outstanding young lady, Miss Katrina Mumaw.

       Thank you for having me here at your school. On July 12, 
     1994, I became the first child in history to break the sound 
     barrier. On that same day, I broke a more important barrier, 
     a barrier of doubts. All of my family, friends and everything 
     I knew was half a world away from me, I was on my own. Facing 
     me was a very stern Russian pilot named Vladimir. He just 
     learned that not only was he going to be flying with a child, 
     it was going to be just a little girl! It was easy that he 
     didn't think that I could fly Russian jets. He even had to be 
     led over to me to shake hands with me. His questions made it 
     clear that he doubted my abilities.
       The only person in that whole room who really knew that I 
     could succeed was me. I had to believe in myself when others 
     did not. I was not going to accept the limitations of others 
     when I knew what I was capable of doing. I flew the L-39 jet 
     trainer and proved that I could handle a jet. I flew the MiG-
     29 up seven miles high, broke the sound barrier and did 
     aerobatics in it. I did what I knew that I could do. When 
     Vladimir came over to me after the flight, it was with a 
     smile. He gave me a special gift from himself, a MiG-29 
     watch. I will treasure that watch, but what I will treasure 
     more is the respect of Vladimir and the other people in 
     Russia. I knew, when Vladimir mussed my hair and visited as 
     if we were old friends that I had broken another barrier.
       When he went out of his way to shake my hand goodbye and 
     wish me safe flying, I knew he had changed too. Breaking the 
     sound barrier was one of my dreams. But that dream is no more 
     important than those that each of you have for yourselves. 
     You must never limit yourselves by giving up and saying ``I 
     can't''. You must never let the doubts of others hold you 
     back. Only through hard work and trying again and again can 
     you really know how high you can reach. There is one thing, 
     though, that can and will destroy all of your dreams. Drugs 
     will not only destroy your dreams but your lives as well. I 
     have seen the waste that drugs leave behind in ways that you 
     cannot dream of.
       You might say that my life is a mix between the movies 
     ``Top Gun'' and ``My Girl''. My brother and I live with our 
     father who is a funeral director. While I never go into the 
     embalming room, I do see things that many kids don't. I see 
     families who have been torn apart by drugs and I hear about 
     dreams that will never come true. I see people of all ages 
     who have had their lives cut short and ended by the use of 
     drugs and alcohol. The innocent little kid who gets run down 
     by a driver too high to know what is happening. A grade 
     school kid who O.D.s on something which was supposed to make 
     him feel real good. He didn't feel anything laying in that 
     casket! One of the questions that I hear people ask is Why? 
     Why did it have to happen? Why such a good kid like that?
       My question is always why take drugs when it is so simple 
     to say ``No.'' The only trip that drugs are going to take 
     anybody on, ultimately, is a trip in the back of my dad's 
     hearse! Saying no is simple, but that doesn't mean that it is 
     easy. Friends may try to pressure you or make fun of you if 
     you don't become one of the group. I say, so what! Who is in 
     charge of your life anyway? You are! You have the power to 
     either reach for your dreams or throw them all away. Would 
     you jump off a cliff, just because somebody said it felt good 
     or was the cool thing to do? A lot of the time, kids think 
     that bad things just can't happen to them. If you mess with 
     drugs, bad things not only can but will happen! There is no 
     way that I'm going to pollute my life and health with drugs, 
     alcohol or smoking! I don't need anything phoney to feel good 
     and have fun. If I can realize my dreams without drugs, you 
     can too!
       They say that it takes courage for me to dogfight in real 
     planes, crashing through the sky. They said it took courage 
     for me to break the sound barrier. I'll tell you what takes 
     courage * * * saying no to drugs takes courage. Each and 
     every one of you can be as brave as any fighter ace or test 
     pilot if you can say no to drugs! You will be a hero to 
     yourself and to those around you. I get high on aviation and 
     not drugs!
       If there is just one thing that you remember about me, it 
     is that I am just a kid like all of you. A kid, just like all 
     of you who has proven that you can reach your dreams and that 
     the only way to do it is without drugs! Don't just make it a 
     Red Ribbon Week, make it a Red Ribbon Life!

                          ____________________