[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5378-S5379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         COMMENDING MARK D. CHAMBERLAIN FOR HIS ACT OF BRAVERY

 Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I recently received a letter that 
remarked upon the bravery and fortitude of a former U.S. Coast Guard 
member, Mark D. Chamberlain.
  On a chilly, rainy winter day, three generations of the Chamberlain 
family, Dale, Mark, and Justin set out on snowshoes in a wooded area of 
Lyndonville, VT. After 5 hours of trekking in the woods, the eldest 
Chamberlain, Dale, attempted to forge an ice-covered river when the ice 
gave way and dragged him under. Mark, his son, managed to grab a hold 
of his coat and pull him back to safety amid the chunks of ice and 
strong river currents. Despite the fact that Dale was numb with cold, 
Mark assured his father that he would be fine and convinced him to 
begin walking. Mark led the party back to their vehicle and the three 
Chamberlains returned safely to the warmth of their home.
  Mark Chamberlain, not only set an heroic example for his son, Justin, 
to admire and follow, he also demonstrated the strength of the bonds 
that tie families together.
  Mr. President, I ask that an article about this experience which 
appeared in the Caledonian-Record be reprinted in the Congressional 
Record.
  The article follows:

[[Page S5379]]

              [From the Caledonian-Record, March 10, 1997]

           St. Johnsbury--Father Credits Rescue To Daring Son

                           (By Andrew Turner)

       Dale Chamberlain knows a thing or two about life, now that 
     he's looked death in the face and survived to tell about it.
       On March 2, Chamberlain was snowshoeing with his son Mark 
     and grandson Justin on his property in Lyndonville when 
     tragedy nearly struck.
       As Chamberlain tells it, the weather was about 45 degrees 
     and drizzly that day, the kind of mid-winter thaw that 
     deceives snow travelers so often
       Chamberlain, his son and grandson, had been trekking the 
     woods near the South Wheelock River for about five hours, he 
     estimated, before coming to the river.
       ``We were making tracks back to the river. I could hear the 
     roar of the water draining into channels in the ice Arriving 
     at the river, I could see a possible way to cross,'' 
     Chamberlain stated.
       He said he began the attempt to cross and the way was 
     slippery. Water covered the ice to roughly 6 inches deep in 
     parts and he was able to use his ski poles to stabilize 
     himself, poking the ice ahead of him to make sure that it was 
     solid.
       ``I punched a hole in one area (and) the ice let go in the 
     whole area around me. I went into the water and under the 
     ice,'' Chamberlain recounted.
       Chamberlain floundered in the water helplessly, his head 
     just above the surface as ice continued to break away, making 
     it impossible to grasp onto anything firm. Hindering him was 
     the fact that his snowshoes had become tangled around each 
     other. He couldn't move his arms or legs.
       ``My muscles were going numb. The only thing I was really 
     aware of was the roar of the rushing water,'' he said.
       The next thing that he remembered was the feeling of his 
     son's hand on the back of his waterlogged jacket, tugging him 
     out of the current of the water and eventually to the shore.
       ``He talked to me and assured me I was OK. He said he was 
     going to stand me up. He said it wouldn't do me any good to 
     just lie there,'' Chamberlain said.
       Eventually they were able to get to their cars and make it 
     home, and to warmth. Chamberlain never received medical 
     treatment but was comforted by the fact that he had a son who 
     challenged adversity to save his father's life.
       ``Thanks to the quick thinking and strength of my son I am 
     still among the living. I now know that no matter how much 
     experience you have in the woods the unexpected can always 
     happen. I just thank God for Mark's ability to analyze the 
     situation and spring into action immediately,'' he 
     said.

                          ____________________