[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 126 (Friday, September 24, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    TRIBUTE TO A HERO: JASON SHRADER

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                         HON. TILLIE K. FOWLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 24, 1999

  Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to honor a 
young man in my district. Last year, one of my constituents in Ormond 
Beach, Florida, risked his own life to save another man's life.
  Jason Shrader was only 15 years old in May 1998 and just a freshman 
at Seabreeze High School when he rescued 40 year old Edward Skelton 
from drowning. Skelton and his girlfriend had gone swimming at the 
Division Avenue shell pit, a popular swimming hole, when he blacked out 
and went under. Jason, who was sitting on the shore with his friends, 
did not think twice before he dove in to search for Skelton.
  As Jason himself so movingly described it, ``I was scared that either 
I was going to die trying to save him or he was going to die before I 
could get him to safety. I grabbed his foot and pulled him to the 
surface. He had turned blue from lack of oxygen, the cold water, and 
being at a depth of fifteen feet of water.''
  Fortunately for Mr. Skelton, Jason is a Boy Scout--an experience that 
taught him how to perform CPR, and allowed him to keep Mr. Skelton 
alive until paramedics arrived.
  Too often we are too busy with our own lives to think about the 
people around us whom we may not know. Jason's selfless and heroic 
action reminds us that sometimes it is important to get involved and to 
do something. As the Bible says, ``Greater love hath no man than this, 
that a man lay down his life for his friends'' (John 15:13).
  Jason is truly a role model for all of us and I commend him for his 
courage and bravery in the fact of such a frightening and dangerous 
situation. The Coast Guard has issued a special award to recognize 
Jason's actions, awarding him the Meritorious Public Service Award. I 
wish to add my congratulations and applause for Jason Shrader, as he 
represents the definition of a true hero.

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