[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 9 (Tuesday, February 10, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  A TRIBUTE TO CADET CAPTAIN GUY PRYOR

   Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, Cadet Captain Guy Pryor, a student 
at Haywood High School, in Brownsville, Tennessee, will soon be honored 
by the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps with its highest 
honor, the Cadet Gold Valor Award. Cadet Pryor is receiving this award 
for his heroic efforts on Sunday, December 19, 1997, as he attempted to 
save the life of an automobile accident victim.
  Cadet Pryor and his friends left a Sunday evening church party in 
Jackson when they came upon the scene of an accident, a head-on 
collision. One of the cars in the accident, a Toyota pick-up, was 
already engulfed in flames, lying in a ditch, having rolled about 100 
feet from the crash site. The man trapped in the vehicle was 
desperately calling for help.
  Without hesitating, Cadet Pryor ran to the truck, and began pulling 
at the passenger door. Those watching cautioned him that the truck 
might well explode at any moment, and called for him to move from the 
truck. The flames were already so hot Cadet Pryor's palms burned, and 
an onlooker threw him a coat to better insulate his hands against the 
fire.
  Cadet Pryor succeeded in pulling the man from the truck just as 
paramedics arrived. Unfortunately, the victim, Hugh Rainey Pegram of 
Jackson, died on the way to the hospital, and our hearts go out to his 
loved ones. Cadet Pryor was taken to the hospital for treatment of his 
burned hands and released.
  So often we do not hear about our young people who distinguish 
themselves. Cadet Pryor is a hero in the truest sense of the word 
because at great peril to himself, he gave willingly and without 
question to a fellow human being in need. His spirit of service and 
selflessness is an example for all of us to emulate.
  This recognition from the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training 
Corps is a wonderful testament to Cadet Pryor's bravery that Sunday 
night. The Cadet Gold Valor Award brings honor to Cadet Pryor and his 
family, and also to the outstanding Tennessee 944th unit of the Junior 
ROTC at Haywood County High School. Cadet Pryor's story is an 
inspiration to us all, and I am proud to be his United States 
Senator.

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