[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 10, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H3132-H3133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF COAST GUARD PETTY OFFICER FIRST CLASS LAVELAS LUCKEY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. First of all, Madam Speaker, I would like to associate 
myself with the words of Mr. Ryan of Ohio. He is absolutely right. And 
we can do better in this country with regard to the issues of making 
sure that we have a manufacturing base. Not only must we have a 
manufacturing base, but we must have an innovation base. And in order 
to have that, certainly we have to build up our educational systems 
throughout these United States.
  Madam Speaker, I come before the House today as chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation to pay a 
special tribute to a true American hero, Coast Guard Petty Officer 
First Class Lavelas Luckey. Last week, a 33-year-old woman tragically 
lost her life when her car was struck from behind and pushed into the 
path of a garbage truck as she was preparing to drop her daughter off 
at a nursery school in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
  Petty Officer Lavelas Luckey, an electrical equipment specialist at 
the nearby Engineering Logistics Center's Equipment Management Division 
at the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland, happened to be in the 
area at the time. And he immediately sprung into action. According to 
authorities, after realizing people were still in the badly damaged 
vehicle, Petty Officer Luckey immediately pushed through a crowd of 
onlookers and pulled the 5-year-old girl from her car seat minutes 
before the car burst into flames. The little girl's mother was freed 
from the car by a police officer.
  Unfortunately, the girl's mother, Christine Schoppert, was pronounced 
dead at the scene. Thankfully, however, the child survived the crash 
and was immediately taken to the Johns Hopkins Hospital with life-
threatening injuries. Recent reports indicate that she is improving. My 
prayers, and I know the prayers of this Congress, are with the family 
of Christine Schoppert and her daughter as she begins to make what we 
hope will be a speedy and complete recovery.
  I'm extremely grateful that I have a chance to thank Petty Officer 
First Class Lavelas Luckey for putting his own safety at great risk in 
saving this precious young life. After speaking to his commanding 
officers and fellow members of the Coast Guard, none of them were 
surprised by Petty Officer Luckey's actions. Petty Officer Luckey has 
been described as being an extremely dedicated member of the United 
States Coast Guard--and as a great human being. These are powerful 
words that should not be taken lightly. Far too often we look to the 
red carpets of Hollywood and our local football stadiums to find our 
heroes while overlooking the individuals who perform truly heroic 
actions in our own neighborhoods.
  I take my hat off to Petty Officer First Class Lavelas Luckey for his 
act of bravery and applaud the entire United States Coast Guard and the 
rest of our armed services for their efforts to protect this country 
from all harm. I also extend a special salute to all of the Nation's 
first responders who risk their lives every day to save others.

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