[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 26 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E269-E270]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          LETTER OF GRATITUDE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 9, 2000

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I insert for printing in the Record the 
following letter from Robert and Patricia Arnold of Newport, Vermont 
expressing their gratitude to the personnel of the Naval Nuclear Power 
Training Command for taking action to save their son, Nathaniel's, 
life.
  I believe the views of Robert and Patricia Arnold will benefit my 
colleagues.

                                                  Newport, Vt,

                                                December 27, 1999.
     Admiral [Frank L.] Bowman
     Director, Dir. Div. of NAVREACT DOE, Washington, DC.
       Dear Admiral Bowman, On November 23, 1999, our eighteen 
     year old son, Nathaniel Spencer Arnold, a Seaman in training 
     at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command, was admitted to the 
     hospital and near death as a result of a serious illness he 
     had encountered in the preceding six weeks. Nathaniel had 
     enlisted in the Navy on July 29th, 1999, competed boot camp, 
     and was three weeks into his training at Naval Nuclear Power 
     Training Command. He had graduated from boot camp with 
     academic honors for his division and, as of November 24th, 
     was maintaining a 3.2 average at Naval Nuclear Power Training 
     Command. The significance of his efforts and ability are 
     better understood with the knowledge that he maintained this 
     standing at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command while losing 
     45 of his normal 150 pounds in the course of battling the 
     illness he had encountered during the preceding six weeks. It 
     is also indicative of the value Nathaniel placed on 
     fulfilling his desire to enter the Navy and to excel at his 
     chosen career.
       On November 26, we were contacted by Lt. Callahan, acting 
     in behalf of the Navy and the Naval Nuclear Power Training 
     Command, to notify us of the seriousness of our son's illness 
     and to arrange for and make the travel arrangements to get my 
     wife and I down to Charleston. We were informed that due to 
     the seriousness of his illness, the Navy had established a 
     watch for him pending either his recovery or his death. It 
     would be difficult to detail all the events which have 
     transpired since that eventful day but suffice it to say that 
     despite his prognosis at the time, Nathaniel survived his 
     illness and went on to impress the doctors with his 
     remarkably quick and continuing recovery process. Words can 
     never express the personal meaning to us of Nathaniel's 
     recovery.
       Nonetheless, we can express our appreciation to the Navy 
     and the personnel acting in behalf of the Navy for the 
     efforts taken in behalf of Nathaniel and ourselves. This 
     letter is written to express for the record our deep 
     appreciation to the Navy and its representatives at the Naval 
     Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston, South Carolina, 
     for those efforts. It is very plain to us that Nathaniel's 
     life would have been lost but for the efforts of the Navy in 
     securing the medical treatment he received. It is also very 
     plain to us that our presence with Nathaniel also played an 
     important role in his survival of that eventful night of 
     November 26th in which he turned the corner with respect to 
     battling his illness. . . . a presence he would have been 
     denied but for the help we obtained with our travel 
     arrangements through the efforts of the Navy personnel at 
     Naval Power Training Command.

[[Page E270]]

       I would like to specially recognize Captain Hicks, the 
     commanding officer of the NNPTC, for his role in ensuring 
     that the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command offered its 
     best to Nathaniel and ourselves during this process. And I 
     would be remiss not to mention the efforts of Commander 
     Crossley and Lt. Callahan for the quality of their efforts in 
     Nathaniel's and our behalf. I would like to commend Commander 
     Crossley for his direct interest and rapport with Nathaniel 
     which contributed in no small way to Nathaniel's recovery. 
     And I would like to commend Lt. Callahan for his personal 
     interest and the thoroughness with which he carried out the 
     directions of Captain Hicks and Commander Crossley in 
     ensuring that everything possible was done for Nathaniel and 
     ourselves while in Charleston. And the direct interest of not 
     only Petty Officer Baker but also his wife in Nathaniel's 
     well-being during his hospitalization should not be omitted. 
     All of these individuals contributed not only in Nathaniel's 
     recovery but also conveyed a very positive image of the Navy 
     to all involved in this process. . . . from the hospital 
     staff all the way down to the family and friends of the other 
     residents of the Intensive Care Unit at the Trident Medical 
     Center in Charleston and ourselves.
       We would like to do all we can to recognize the Navy's 
     efforts in helping Nathaniel successfully recover from his 
     illness and to recognize the individual endeavors of the Navy 
     personnel in carrying out those efforts. We would also like 
     to recognize the excellent relationship which exists between 
     the Navy and the medical staff of the Trident Medical Center 
     which permitted Nathaniel to receive the care he required. 
     This letter is being written for that purpose and my wife and 
     I hope that it has, in some way, accomplished our desire to 
     recognize the Navy, its personnel, and those operating in 
     behalf of the Navy for their excellence in returning to us 
     the life of our son.
           Very truly yours,
                                       Robert and Patricia Arnold.

     

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