[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4596-S4597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMENDING CAPTAIN RICHARD PHILLIPS, THE CREW OF THE MAERSK ALABAMA AND 
                     THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 108, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 108) commending Captain Richard 
     Phillips, the crew of the ``Maersk Alabama,'' and the United 
     States Armed Forces, recognizing the growing problem of 
     piracy off Somalia's coast, and urging the development of a 
     comprehensive strategy to address piracy and its root causes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. LEAHY. Today I have submitted--along with Senators Gregg of New 
Hampshire, Feingold of Wisconsin, Kennedy and Kerry of Massachusetts, 
and, of course, my colleague, Senator Sanders of Vermont--a Senate 
resolution on Captain Richard Phillips, the ship captain from 
Underhill, VT, who Somali pirates took hostage 2 weeks ago.
  This resolution praises Captain Phillips for his selfless heroism--he 
offered himself in lieu of his crew as a hostage--his extraordinary 
rescuers, his family, and the Federal agencies that kept close watch on 
the captain while the pirates held him literally at gunpoint in an 18-
foot lifeboat in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
  This situation was an all too real drama that played out on the high 
seas. With grappling hooks and guns, Somali pirates took control of 
Captain Phillips' ship, the Maersk Alabama. The 20-member crew of the 
500-foot container ship retook control after a harrowing struggle.
  But to protect his crew from further danger, Captain Phillips agreed 
to go with the pirates into a lifeboat where he was held hostage at 
gunpoint for 5 days. Displaying a resourcefulness and the indomitable 
spirit that speaks to the best qualities of Vermont, New England, and 
our great Nation, he attempted to escape. He kept his cool and 
confidence in the most volatile situation where the pirates, in a 
second, could have easily killed him.
  The U.S. Navy arrived, headed up by the guided missile destroyer, USS 
Bainbridge, and when the captain faced imminent danger, snipers from 
one of our most elite military units, the Navy SEALs, killed his 
captors.
  The entire country has shared feelings of admiration for the courage 
and fortitude of Captain Phillips, relief that he and his crew are 
safely home, and gratitude for the outstanding performance of the U.S. 
Navy, particularly the Bainbridge crew and the SEALs, for their rescue 
of the captain.
  The Maersk Alabama incident is part of a troubling pattern of piracy 
that comes from the anarchy and the poverty plaguing Somalia. Pirates 
have taken hostage more than 200 crew members in dozens of countries. 
They have absconded with tens of millions of dollars in ransom, 
reinvesting that money into more advanced equipment and weapons, from 
guns to rocket-propelled grenades to global positioning systems.
  The scale and intensity of the piracy is only getting worse, as this 
resolution underscores. This piracy has to be addressed.
  But on that Wednesday, those pirates met their match, from Captain 
Phillips and his crew, to the remarkable Phillips family, to the 
formidable U.S. military, and the wider U.S. Government.
  The President monitored the situation closely. He gave the necessary 
direction to the SEALs to use force if required to protect Phillips. 
The FBI provided guidance to the USS Bainbridge to deal with the 
hostage situation, while the Department of State kept the family 
informed.
  Andrea Phillips, Captain Phillips' wife, was incredible throughout 
this crisis. I was receiving calls from the White House. I was told 
what was going on, as were my staff. I was calling Mrs. Phillips and 
talking with her. And the calmness of this woman, realizing the 
harrowing danger that her husband faced, and her respect for our 
Government's efforts to save him were remarkable--she repeatedly 
thanked the Navy personnel, the FBI, and others for keeping such close 
tabs on the situation. Even though this was an especially difficult 
experience for their two children, Daniel and Mariah, they weathered 
the crisis and had a happy reunion.

[[Page S4597]]

  I look forward to the next time I take the ferry boat across Lake 
Champlain and Daniel is piloting it. I think one of the happiest 
moments was with several friends at Easter Mass on Easter Sunday. I 
talked with the White House earlier that morning, and I knew that 
things may come to a conclusion. But I turned my cell phone off while I 
was at Mass. I came out and there was a message from the White House: 
``He is safe.'' At the top, ``He is safe.'' Then they filled me in on 
what happened.
  I was telling my friends, my wife, Marcelle, who was with me. We were 
standing there in the parking lot cheering, laughing, tears. People 
were kind of looking at us wondering just what was going on. I called 
Mrs. Phillips, and she had the same reaction. Later the President 
called her, as he called her husband. The reunions last week with the 
crew arriving at Andrews Air Force Base, Captain Phillips stepping off 
the plane at the Burlington, VT, airport were moments of joy and 
relief.
  The country is so proud of these Americans who certainly did not want 
to be at the center of an international crisis. But when they were, 
they rose to the occasion with the strength and bravery that represent 
the best of our country.
  With this resolution, we commend Captain Phillips and his family, the 
crew of the Maersk Alabama, the U.S. Armed Forces, and the Navy SEALs 
for their heroism. This resolution has one message above all others: 
Welcome home.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I wish to say a few words on this 
resolution commending Captain Richard Phillips, the crew of the Maersk 
Alabama, and the U.S. Navy.
  The resolution recognizes the growing problem of piracy in 
international waters off the coast of Somalia, a country that has been 
without a functioning central government since 1991.
  The resulting lawlessness and the desperate humanitarian situation 
have turned the area into a base for pirate operations.
  Earlier this month, Somali pirates used grappling hooks and weapons 
to board the cargo ship captained by Richard Phillips, who lives with 
his family in Underhill, VT. He led a crew of 19 on the vessel that was 
delivering food aid to starving people in eastern Africa.
  Captain Phillips bravely led the crew in retaking control of the ship 
by offering himself as a hostage in exchange for the release of his 
crew.
  Four pirates then took Captain Phillips into an 18-foot lifeboat, 
held him captive at gunpoint, and repeatedly threatened to kill him.
  On Easter Sunday, Captain Phillips was rescued by Navy SEALs who 
determined that Captain Phillips was in imminent danger and took the 
lives of three of his pirate captors.
  The people of Vermont are proud of the extraordinary courage of 
Captain Phillips, the dignity of his family under great stress and the 
outstanding performance of the U.S. Navy and other governmental 
personnel in rescuing Richard and dispatching those who apprehended 
him.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, Captain Phillips of Underhill, VT, held 
hostage by Somalians, where his own courage allowed the release of his 
crew, and the courage of the U.S. Navy and the courage of our military 
and the courage of our leadership, at the White House, the Department 
of Defense, and elsewhere brought about his release.
  The Phillips family is a wonderful family. They live in a small and 
beautiful town in Vermont. There are few things that unite everybody. I 
can say as a lifelong Vermonter, I know my State is united in pride for 
Captain Phillips. All of us felt our prayers were answered on Easter 
Sunday when we received word that he was safe and was going back home. 
I know how much it meant to me to pick up the phone and call Mrs. 
Phillips, and the day before he arrived back home, to call her up and 
wish her a happy birthday and say: The best birthday present this 
Nation can give you is tomorrow afternoon at the Burlington Airport 
when your husband will arrive.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed 
to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon 
the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any 
statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 108) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 108

       Whereas Somalia has been without a functioning central 
     government since 1991, resulting in lawlessness and an 
     increasingly desperate humanitarian situation;
       Whereas according to a Somali human rights group, violence 
     during the period from 2007 to 2009 has killed an estimated 
     16,000 people, wounded more than 28,000 people, and displaced 
     more than 1,000,000 people;
       Whereas these grim conditions and the absence of a 
     functioning government have made Somalia an ideal base for 
     piracy operations and a fertile ground for terrorist 
     organizations, including the group al-Shabaab, whose leaders 
     have ties to al-Qaeda;
       Whereas acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia have been 
     on the rise for more than a year, with the International 
     Maritime Bureau reporting an estimated 111 attacks in 2008;
       Whereas on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, Somali pirates used 
     grappling hooks and weapons to board the Norfolk, Virginia-
     based container ship Maersk Alabama, which was captained by 
     Richard Phillips, a resident of Underhill, Vermont, and 
     crewed by 19 other citizens of the United States, and which 
     was delivering food aid from the World Food Programme to 
     hungry people in east Africa;
       Whereas Captain Phillips, a native of Winchester, 
     Massachusetts and a 1979 graduate of the Massachusetts 
     Maritime Academy, bravely led the Maersk Alabama crew in 
     successfully retaking control of the ship by offering himself 
     as a hostage in exchange for the release of the crew;
       Whereas 4 pirates took Captain Phillips into an 18-foot 
     lifeboat, held him captive at gunpoint, and repeatedly 
     threatened to kill him;
       Whereas the United States Central Command dispatched to the 
     scene the destroyer U.S.S. Bainbridge, which was joined in 
     subsequent days by the U.S.S. Halyburton and the U.S.S. 
     Boxer, along with Navy SEAL teams, Marine Corps helicopters, 
     and other joint assets of the United States Armed Forces;
       Whereas hostage recovery experts from the Federal Bureau of 
     Investigations gave guidance to the crew of the U.S.S. 
     Bainbridge, while the Department of State stayed in contact 
     with Captain Phillips' family, including Phillips' wife 
     Andrea and their 2 children, Daniel and Mariah, in Underhill, 
     Vermont;
       Whereas Maersk Limited, based in Norfolk, Virginia, worked 
     diligently with the United States Armed Forces to try to 
     obtain the release of Captain Phillips and the Maersk Alabama 
     crew and to move the ship safely to port in Kenya, while 
     sending personal representatives to Vermont to keep the 
     Phillips family informed;
       Whereas in the late evening of April 9, 2009, Captain 
     Phillips made an escape attempt, jumping into the water of 
     the Indian Ocean to swim for safety, only to be pursued by 
     the pirates and quickly recaptured;
       Whereas the President received regular briefings on the 
     hostage crisis and provided the authority necessary for the 
     United States Armed Forces to resolve it;
       Whereas on April 12, 2009, Easter Sunday, Captain Phillips 
     was rescued after the United States Armed Forces, which 
     throughout the crisis spared no effort to defuse the 
     situation and peacefully rescue Phillips, took the lives of 3 
     of the pirate captors when Phillips was seen to be in 
     imminent danger; and
       Whereas international commerce remains under threat while 
     Somali pirates continue to hold for ransom more than 200 crew 
     members of many nationalities: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) Captain Phillips deserves the respect and admiration of 
     all people of the United States for his brave conduct under 
     life-threatening circumstances;
       (2) the Senate shares the sense of relief and gratitude 
     felt by the family and shipmates of Captain Phillips;
       (3) all members of the United States Armed Forces involved 
     in the rescue operation, in particular members of the Navy 
     and Navy SEAL teams who rescued Captain Phillips, the 
     officials of other Federal Government departments and 
     agencies who contributed, and the crew of the Maersk Alabama, 
     are to be commended for their exceptional efforts and 
     devotion to duty; and
       (4) the President should work with the international 
     community and the transitional government of Somalia to 
     develop a comprehensive strategy to address both the 
     burgeoning problem of piracy and its root causes.

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