[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 27, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S1250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    IN REMEMBRANCE OF LOUIS M. LAINO

  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memory 
of one of my constituents, Mr. Louis M. Laino, a man who gave his life 
in defense of his country.
  I would like to call attention to a tragic accident which occurred on 
January 15, 1961, and which took the lives of 28 brave Americans, one 
of whom, Louis M. Laino, was a resident of the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania. Mr. Laino was a crew member aboard Texas Tower 4.
  Texas Tower 4 was one of three Department of the Air Force radar 
sites installed in the North Atlantic Ocean in the 1950s whose purpose 
was to provide early warning in the event of an enemy missile or bomber 
strike against the United States. Texas Tower 4 was located 
approximately 85 miles southeast of New York City in 185 feet of water. 
Prior to the accident in 1961, Tower 4 had earned a reputation for 
being unstable and had been nicknamed ``Old Shaky'' by the crew members 
who served aboard the structure.
  On September 12, 1960, Texas Tower 4 was struck by Hurricane 
``Donna.'' The storm's 130-mile per hour winds and 50-foot waves 
exceeded Tower 4's design specifications and caused structural damage 
to the platform. The Air Force decided that extensive repair work would 
need to be performed on Tower 4 the following spring. February 1, 1961, 
was established as the date for complete evacuation of the platform. In 
the meantime, a maintenance crew of 28 persons was stationed aboard 
Tower 4 to perform immediate repair work prior to more rigorous repairs 
being performed. Mr. Laino was among this group of workers, and 
tragically lost his life when a second storm struck Tower 4. This storm 
possessed 85-mile per hour winds, 35-foot waves, and proved to be too 
much for the already weakened Tower 4 to withstand. At 7:20 pm on the 
evening of January 15, 1961, Texas Tower 4's structure failed, and the 
platform, with all hands on board, sank to the bottom of the Atlantic.
  In closing, I would again like to call attention to the sacrifice 
made by Louis M. Laino in defense of his country. Mr. Laino made the 
ultimate sacrifice, that of his life. On behalf of the people of 
Pennsylvania, I salute Mr. Laino for his courage and bravery in 
performing a dangerous duty. Mr. Laino died so that all of us might be 
safer, and for that, he should be remembered.

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