[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 95 (Monday, July 12, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S7935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING GREG CANNELL OF AMERICAN FALLS, IDAHO

 Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise to recognize Mr. Greg Cannell 
of American Falls, ID, for his heroic actions in saving the life of a 
rural mail carrier. Last December, Greg selflessly and fearlessly 
jumped into near-freezing waters to save a mail carrier who had skidded 
off a winding mountain road and into the nearby river.
  On December 1, 2003, Ron Meadville, a rural mail carrier, was 
returning from his 110-mile route along the remote North Fork road 
northwest of Salmon, ID. Greg Cannell and a friend, Tina Taysom, were 
traveling ahead of Meadville on the same road. Cannell and Taysom 
pulled over to look at some deer, and Meadville passed them. When 
Cannell pulled back on the road and rounded a bend, he couldn't see the 
mail truck but saw a set of skid marks that veered off the road, toward 
the near-frozen river. Meadville had hit a patch of ice that sent his 
truck hurtling over the 25-foot embankment to land upside down in the 
Salmon River, in more than 5 feet of 33-degree water. Greg Cannell 
acted immediately. He stopped his truck, jumped out, slid down the 
steep embankment and plunged into the river. After several strenuous 
attempts, Cannell was able to pull open the truck door, grab 
Meadville's hand, and pull him out through an opening between the seat 
and the doorjamb. By this time, Meadville was experiencing hypothermia.
  Cannell and Taysom pulled Meadville up the embankment to their 
vehicle. Meadville managed to tell them that he lived about a mile from 
where they were. Cannell took him to his home where he helped 
Meadville's wife care for him. Cannell refused any care for himself 
until he knew Meadville was safe.
  Greg Cannell risked his own life to save a stranger. He refuses to be 
called a hero, but he is truly a hero to Ron Meadville and his family. 
Without his courageous actions, Ron Meadville would not be alive today. 
Greg Cannell's actions truly were heroic and it is a pleasure for me to 
honor him and share his story.

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