[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 129 (Friday, August 4, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11446-S11447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  IN COMMEMORATION OF COAST GUARD DAY

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, I rise to congratulate the U.S. Coast 
Guard on this, its 250th birthday. Since its formation on August 4, 
1790, Coast Guard men and women have served our Nation proudly, 
professionally, and with distinction. They have served in a complex 
organization that has grown and evolved along with our country. From a 
fleet of 10 small cutters built to stop smuggling, the Coast Guard has 
developed into a multimissioned organization that is the world's 
premier maritime service.
  The Active Duty, Civilian, Reserve, and Auxiliary personnel of the 
Coast Guard today perform many more missions than those who served in 
1790. On an average daily basis, the Coast Guard: conducts 191 search 
and rescue cases; saves 14 lives and assists 328 people; saves nearly 
$2.5 million in property; seizes 209 pounds of marijuana and 170 pounds 
of cocaine worth $9.2 million; boards 90 large vessels for port safety 
checks; processes 120 seamen's documents; responds to 34 oil or 
hazardous chemical spills; conducts 120 law enforcement boardings, 
identifying 65 violations; investigates 17 marine accidents; inspects 
64 commercial vessels; services 150 aids to navigation; and interdicts 
176 illegal migrants.
  Everyone knows the valiant and often heroic efforts of Coast Guard 
personnel as they perform search and rescue missions. During one such 
mission this past winter, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer displayed true 
bravery. Aviation Survivalman First Class Michael Odom jumped from a 
Coast Guard helicopter in the middle
 of the night and swam several hundred yards through turbulent seas to 
help rescue three men. After the third man was safely pulled aboard the 
helicopter, the hoist cable broke, leaving Odom stranded in the ocean 
hundreds of miles from shore. Fatigued, the Coast Guardsman dragged 
himself aboard a life raft, and a waited rescue. The 20 foot seas and 
40 knot winds repeatedly swept him from his raft, and he began to 
experience severe seasickness. Unconscious, hypothermic, and near 
death, he as rescued 5 hours later by a second helicopter. This spring, 
Aviation Survivalman First Class Michael Odom received the 
Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroic actions--actions that 
characterize the people of this great service.

  The Coast Guard also continues to be the Nation's primary Federal 
maritime agency. As a lead organization in the war on drugs, the Coast 
Guard regularly stops the flow of illegal substances bound for our 
cities and communities, as demonstrated by a recent interdiction in 
which a Coast Guard cutter stopped a vessel with over 5,000 pounds of 
cocaine on board.
  Responding to safety problems posed by foreign vessels operating in 
U.S. waters, the Coast Guard implemented a Port State Control 
Initiative last year that has produced positive results. Coast Guard 
marine inspector boardings of foreign ships in general have increased 
70 percent, while boardings of foreign freight ships--the vessel type 
most often associated with substandard characteristics--have seen a 10-
fold increase from previous levels. These efforts have led to the 
identification of over 400 shipowners and operators and 18 flag states 
associated with substandard ships. As a result of this targeting, the 
Coast Guard has enhanced its ability to focus boarding efforts on those 
ships that pose the greatest risk to marine safety and environmental 
security.
  Coast Guard personnel are often at great risk in performing their 
dangerous missions. This past January, while conducting a law 
enforcement boarding, PO Jonathan D. Scotchmer made the ultimate 
sacrifice when the floor beneath him collapsed. His dedication to duty 
and willingness to serve his country are an inspiration to us all and 
will not be forgotten. Petty Officer Scotchmer is a true hero.
  Despite being the smallest of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Coast Guard 
in some manner positively affects the lives of virtually all Americans. 
The service's efforts to enforce fisheries laws and regulations, to 
prevent, and when required, respond to oil spills in our Nation's 
waters, and to rescue 

[[Page S 11447]]
those in distress in the maritime region are just one of the many 
examples of the daily impact of the Coast Guard.
  Mr. President, it is for these efforts and the exemplary service to 
our Nation that the Coast Guard was recently presented with the 
Department of Transportation's Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement. 
Coast Guard men and women are the ultimate lifesavers and guardians of 
the sea. I am proud and honored to commemorate their birthday by 
commending them for their dedicated service to a very grateful Nation.


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