[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 20, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E973-E974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    MASTER SERGEANT BRIAN CREMEANS HONORED WITH ARMY SOLDIER'S MEDAL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2008

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, It was my distinct privilege 
this morning to participate in ceremonies here at the Capitol to honor 
Army MSG Sergeant Brian L. Cremeans with the Soldier's Medal for 
heroism.
  During a 2003 tour of duty in Afghanistan as part of Operation 
Enduring Freedom, Master Sergeant Cremeans, an explosive ordnance 
disposal technician, was conducting a controlled demolition of 4,000 
pounds of high explosives that were captured from the Taliban when he 
alertly realized that a fire ignited in the demolition pit. Given the 
amount of explosives, he realized that there was no time to evacuate 
the area. Master Sergeant Cremeans, without forethought for his own 
safety, jumped into the demolition pit and quickly began covering the 
fire with dirt, extinguishing it before the entire cache of weapons 
exploded. He then located the fire's propellant, scooped it into a 
canister and continued to fight more small flash fires until they were 
all extinguished. His actions saved the lives of 15 Afghans and 4 
American soldiers who would have been killed had he not taken those 
extraordinary actions.
  Madam Speaker, Master Sergeant Cremeans's heroic actions were brought 
to my attention by my constituent Army MAJ Zachary Norsworthy of St. 
Petersburg, Florida, who was with the unit at the time of this 
incident. Having personally witnessed Master Sergeant Cremeans' quick 
thinking and actions, Major Norsworthy nominated him for the Soldier's 
Award, one of the Army's highest noncombat honors for valor. 
Unfortunately, the award package was lost by the Army and when time had 
passed with no action, Major Norsworthy resubmitted the application but 
was told that the two-year period for submitting an award nomination 
had passed and it was too late to resubmit. Major Norsworthy promptly 
contacted me and I contacted the Secretary of the Army who reviewed the 
case and quickly saw that Master Sergeant Cremeans was deserving of 
this honor and ordered the awarding of the medal.
  This morning in my office, SMA Kenneth Preston officiated as we 
presented Master Sergeant Cremeans with this long-overdue recognition. 
Following my remarks, I will submit for the benefit of my colleagues 
the Army citation and Major Norsworthy's narrative outlining the brave 
actions of Master Sergeant Cremeans.
  Madam Speaker, Master Sergeant Cremeans represents the best our 
Nation has to offer. He volunteered to serve our Nation in uniform and 
to protect our freedom and liberty. He is now retired after 22 years of 
service to the United States and to the Army. Please join me in saying 
thank you to him for his actions and his lifetime of service.

                                Citation

       To all who shall see these presents, greeting: this is to 
     certify that the President of the United States of America, 
     authorized by act of Congress, July 2, 1926, has awarded the 
     Soldier's Medal to (Then) Sergeant First Class Brian L. 
     Cremeans, United States Army, for heroism on 6 May 2003 in 
     Meynemah, Afghanistan. Given under my hand in the City of 
     Washington on this 30th day of October 2007.
     Reuben D. Jones,
       the Adjutant General.
     Pete Geren,
       Secretary of the Army.
                                  ____

       The President of the United States of America, authorized 
     by an Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, has awarded the 
     Soldier's Medal to Sergeant First Class Brian L. Cremeans, 
     United States Army, for heroism: not involving actual 
     conflict with an armed enemy on 6 May 2003, in Meynemah, 
     Afghanistan. As enemy munitions were being placed in a 
     demolition pit, Sergeant Cremeans saw a glimpse of smoke 
     billow from the pit. The demolition pit was covered with 
     approximately four inches of explosive propellant (white 
     phosphorous) at the base that, if ignited, would detonate the 
     4000 pounds of high explosives rigged for demolition. Without 
     hesitation, he immediately leapt onto the side of the twenty-
     foot deep pit, which caused dirt to smother the flame that 
     had begun to build. Sergeant Cremeans' actions

[[Page E974]]

     provided him enough time to gain control of the flame and 
     further extinguish it. His attention to detail and 
     situational awareness enabled him to recognize the difference 
     between dust and smoke as the pit was being loaded with 
     mortar and tank rounds. Sergeant Cremeans' quick reaction 
     prevented the propellant from igniting, which would have 
     caused the munitions to prematurely detonate, thereby saving 
     the lives of the fifteen Afghan Nationals and four U.S. 
     servicemen. Master Sergeant Cremeans' courage and concern for 
     his fellow Soldiers and Afghan Nationals were in keeping with 
     the highest traditions of the military service and reflect 
     great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States 
     Army.
                                  ____


                               Narrative

       On May 6, 2003, Sergeant First Class Brian L. Cremeans was 
     serving as the Senior Explosive Ordnance and Demolition (EOD) 
     Technician to destroy the largest cache ever discovered in 
     Afghanistan. The cache amounted to over 350,000 pounds worth 
     of High Explosives. Over 4000 pounds worth of High Explosives 
     was loaded into one of two demolition pits by fifteen Afghans 
     with the close supervision of a fellow EOD technician. At 
     this point, the floor of the pit was covered ankle deep with 
     propellant from previous demolition shots. SFC Cremeans, 1LT 
     Patton and 1LT Norsworthy were standing on top of the pit as 
     the Afghans and one of the EOD technicians were loading the 
     final mortar rounds into the pit. As he was watching the pit, 
     a billow of smoke appeared at the bottom of the 20 foot deep 
     pit. SFC Cremeans yelled, ``Fire'' and before 1LT Patton 
     could yell burning, SFC Cremeans had dove into the pit 
     yelling fire. As he was sliding down to the bottom of the pit 
     a flame erupted and he slid into it causing his body to push 
     enough dirt into the flame to momentarily smolder it. This 
     act gave him enough time to put more dirt onto the flames and 
     gather up loose propellant surrounding the site of ignition, 
     thus allowing him to gain control of the situation. He 
     immediately gathered up the white phosphorous residue that 
     had been unearthed and the surrounding propellant and scooped 
     them into a canister. He stayed there extinguishing the 
     ambitious little flames until the threat was eliminated. All 
     non essential personnel were loaded on the truck. He then 
     calmly set the ring main and charges on the pit. He then 
     finished by arming the M-60 fuse igniters on the ring main 
     and was the last man to get into the revving truck. In 
     summary, Sergeant First Class Brian L. Cremeans' courageous 
     selfless act and impeccable attention to detail saved the 
     lives of fifteen Afghans and four United States Army 
     servicemen. SFC Cremeans courageous selfless act richly 
     deserves the award of the Soldiers Medal. Through his 
     courageous selfless efforts and impeccable attention to 
     detail, Sergeant First Class Brian L. Cremeans reflected 
     great credit upon himself, the United States Army and the 
     Department of Defense.

                          ____________________