[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 99 (Friday, June 16, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S8529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          WHAT AN AIR FORCE PILOT'S RESCUE SAYS ABOUT AMERICA

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, America rejoiced last week when the 
news broke of Air Force Capt. Scott O'Grady's rescue from Serb-
controlled territory of Bosnia after being missing for 6 days. We were 
relieved know that he was safe and sound and we were eager to receive a 
sliver of good news from a region where day after day for 3 years we 
have been besieged by reports of the murder of innocents, genocide, and 
international hooliganism on a scale unseen since the dark days of 
World War II.
  Our elation could not help but grow when this young F-16 pilot 
stepped before the microphones for the first time after his rescue. His 
words filled us with pride and reminded us of what makes the men and 
women of our Armed Forces so special and what is special about America. 
After 6 days of eating grass, drinking rain water, and hiding from 
armed Serbs who were trying to kill him, this young man's first words 
were of his thanks to God, his parents, his comrades-in-arms, and his 
country. As remarkable as his own actions were in the face of 
considerable hardship and danger, Scott O'Grady told the world that he 
was not the hero in this situation--in his view it was the brave men 
and women who risked their lives for him by conducting a continuous 
search effort and, when at last he was located, flying into enemy 
territory to snatch him away and bring him home.
  Though he spoke for less than 2 minutes in that first appearance 
before a cheering crowd at Aviano Air Base and, thanks to instant 
communications, the entire world, his words should give us all pause 
and cause us to consider the values he reflects: trust in God, love of 
family, unwavering confidence in his country, and faith in the 
abilities of his colleagues in each of the military services. 
Throughout the past week of interviews and ceremonies at the White 
House and Pentagon, Captain O'Grady has continued to talk about his 
faith in God, country, family, and coworker.
  Are these values unique to Scott O'Grady or to members of the Armed 
Forces? Clearly, living, working, and, when called upon, fighting and 
dying together are unique aspects of life in the Armed Forces which 
build the camaraderie and faith in your fellow workers that are so 
evident in the military. These values are critically important when 
one's work requires you to put your life in the hands of others.
  As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am involved in 
decisions on defense budgets and policies which remind me every day of 
the important responsibilities we have for the men and women of our 
Armed Forces. We must work to ensure that they are properly trained, 
equipped, and motivated--as Captain O'Grady and the members of the 
rescue forces clearly were--if they are going to be able to continue 
their vital work of ensuring our national security. Too often in recent 
times, the dedicated men and women of our military have been tarred 
with a brush of scandal because of the proper acts of just a few. These 
acts are cause for concern and should be taken seriously as the Senate 
always has. But at the end of the day, I believe that what we see in 
Captain O'Grady and those brave servicemen and women who rescued him is 
the best representation of what our Armed Forces are and what they 
stand for.
  But the values we have seen reflected in the words and deeds of Scott 
O'Grady are, in fact, the values which Americans have prized throughout 
our history. They are what has made America great. They are the values 
which most of us learned from our parents in homes across America. 
Scott's mother and father should be proud of the way they taught these 
values to their son.
  The daily barrage of headlines of violence in the homes and streets 
of America, stories of broken homes, and indications of racial and 
religious bigotry could lead one to conclude that there is a cancer 
growing on America's spirit. I do not believe it and I doubt that most 
Americans believe it.
  Americans are as they have always been--people of faith, courage, 
patriotism, and hard work. Perhaps it is time to remind ourselves of 
what is good about us and to allow our values to come to the surface 
again where they can help pull us above our fears and insecurities.
  America owes young Scott O'Grady a debt of gratitude--for the 
professional manner in which he performed his duties as an officer in 
the U.S. Air Force and for the reminder that he has given us of what it 
takes to survive in these troubled times. America should rejoice with 
his return--and reflect upon what it says about us as a nation.

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