[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 93 (Thursday, June 8, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H5737-H5738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     EXPRESSING THANKS FOR THE HEROIC RESCUE OF CAPT. SCOTT O'GRADY

  (Mr. LaTOURETTE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, this morning at 5:50 a.m., two CH-53 Sea 
Stallion assault helicopters, two AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and two 
AV-8 Harrier jump jets were launched from the U.S.S. Kearsarge to 
travel into war-torn Bosnia and rescue Capt. Scott F. O'Grady whose F-
16 jet was shot down over hostile Serb territory 6 days ago.
  It was a daring, risky daytime rescue. Less than 1 hour after the 
launch, Capt. Scott F. O'Grady ran out of the woods, pistol in hand, 
and safely boarded one of the massive CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters.
  As the chopper took off to flee Bosnia in these most dangerous and 
harrowing of circumstances, its fuselage was hit by two shots and its 
blades were clipped by small fire. A missile was fired but missed. 
Still, the pilot of that 53 Echo chopper was able to safely exit Bosnia 
over the Adriatic Sea and return Captian O'Grady to safety aboard the 
U.S.S. Kearsarge.
  The pilot of that chopper in that extraordinarily courageous rescue 
mission was U.S. Marine Capt. Paul A. Fortunato, 30, the son of Paul 
and Gayle Fortunato of Concord Township in Northeast Ohio.
  Captian Fortunato's mother, Gayle, said, ``This is what they train 
for.'' But I would disagree. You cannot train for acts of heroism. They 
come from within the heart and soul. They are the products of a deep 
and abiding love of country. Capt. Paul A. Fortunato is the embodiment 
of a hero.
  For that, on behalf of citizens of the 19th District of Ohio and all 
of the [[Page H5738]] United States of America, we thank you Capt. Paul 
A. Fortunato, and the rest of the brave participants in this heroic and 
spectacular rescue mission.
  America is infinitely proud of you, and forever grateful.
  

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