[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 112 (Friday, August 1, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                IN HONOR OF DEPUTY SHERIFF JIMMIE HENRY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JANE HARMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 1, 1997

  Ms. HARMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the late Deputy Jimmie 
Henry of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. On August 4, 
1997, the city of Avalon, CA, which is in my congressional district, 
will be holding a memorial ceremony honoring Deputy Henry who died in 
the line of duty. The California Peace Officer's Association will 
present a medal of valor to his wife, Sue, and their only son, David J. 
Henry.
  In 1984, Deputy Jimmie Henry was assigned to police the 
unincorporated area of Santa Catalina Island when a U.S. Navy jet 
crashed in a remote part of the island. At the request of the Navy, 
Sheriff's Department personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene 
of the disaster to check for survivors and to secure the area until 
Navy investigators could respond and assume control of the 
investigation. Deputy Henry was assigned to check the wreckage for 
survivors at the bottom of a canyon, and sadly to say, there were none.
  During Deputy Henry's investigation, he was exposed to toxic 
chemicals that were leaking from the aircraft. It was only when Navy 
personnel arrived the next day and approached the wreckage that there 
was any indication of the seriousness of his exposure to unknown 
substances.
  Deputy Henry's state of health steadily declined following the 
accident, and on May 12, 1995, Deputy Henry died of his injuries 
heroically sustained in the line of duty.
  I proudly join Mayor Pro Tem Tim Winslow, the city of Avalon, and 
Sheriff Sherman Block in honoring the memory of this courageous fallen 
hero, and I offer my gratitude and support to his wife, Sue, and their 
son, David, on the occasion of this important memorial ceremony.

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