[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 60 (Friday, March 31, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E752-E753]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 TRIBUTES TO TWO YOUNG PILOTS; ANTHONY W. SHANKS AND VINCENT R. BREDING

                                 ______


                         HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 30, 1995
  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to two young 
pilots who recently gave their lives in a mission of mercy. Anthony 
Warner Shanks, 36, and Vincent Randall Breding, 31, were shuttling two 
Orange County doctors to Mexico March 3, 1995, when their plane went 
down in a rugged area of Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in San Diego 
County.
  [[Page E753]] The team was headed to San Blas, Mexico, where UC 
Irvine ear, nose and throat specialists were to fix cleft palates, 
remove facial tumors, and serve a poor population with little or no 
access to medical care. The flight was one of 21 headed to the Sinaloa 
region on a monthly mission sponsored by the Orange County-based Liga 
International.
  Anthony Shanks was born in Vallejo, CA, in 1958 and moved 1 year 
later to Sacramento. He attended John F. Kennedy High School and after 
graduating, secured a job with the city of Sacramento, rising to the 
position of park supervisor. While employed with the city of 
Sacramento, Mr. Shanks attended college for 2 years and in 1990, he 
achieved a major goal when he received his pilot's license. In addition 
to these pursuits, Mr. Shanks was an aspiring musician and had been 
part of a USO tour to Alaska, performing for U.S. troops in 1978.
  Vincent Breding--Randy--was born in Panorama City, CA, in 1963. Upon 
graduating from Monroe High School, he attended the University of 
Southern California, Northridge, earning honors and a degree in 
business administration. Mr. Breding settled with his new wife in 
Sacramento in 1990 and was employed with Sacramento County as an 
auditor/appraiser. He obtained his private pilot licensee in high 
school. Since that time, he earned enough hours to become an instructor 
and even purchased his own aircraft to assist in obtaining his hours 
and instructing flight students. He was only hours away from reaching 
his goal of obtaining his airline transport pilot license, which would 
have fulfilled his dream of becoming a pilot for a major airline.
  Both Mr. Shanks and Mr. Breding were model men, offering their 
services to their community and to people in places they had never 
before visited. Apart from the mission which claimed their lives, Mr. 
Shanks had volunteered as a pilot for the Yolo County Aero Squad and 
Mr. Breding had flown aerial surveillance for the Yolo County Sheriff's 
Department and recently went diving to help bring up a downed plane in 
Lake Berryessa.
  Both men leave behind families who will forever remember them as 
compassionate and selfless individuals. Mr. Shanks is survived by his 
wife Kathy, and a son, Anthony. Mr. Breding leaves a wife, Denise, and 
a son, Erik. Both men will also be missed by parents, family members, 
friends, and colleagues.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in paying tribute to 
these fine young men. Their dedication to their fellow man is an 
inspiration and I extend on behalf of my colleagues, warm condolences 
to each of their loving families.