[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 15 (Tuesday, February 2, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            HONORING THE U.S. COAST GUARD CUTTER ``MOHAWK''

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to honor the brave work 
and the supreme dedication of the command and crew of the U.S. Coast 
Guard Cutter Mohawk.
  The Mohawk has just returned from a 2-month deployment and is now 
home at Coast Guard Sector Key West. During their deployment, they were 
diverted to Haiti in response to the earthquake that hit on January 12. 
The Mohawk was the second cutter on the scene and the first to have 
Coast Guard crew members on the ground in Port-au-Prince.
  On behalf of our grateful Nation, I thank each and every crew member 
for their role in this humanitarian mission. My most supreme 
appreciation goes out to Corpsman Second Class Elias Gomez. Corpsman 
Gomez will certainly be receiving commendations and awards in the 
coming months for his heroic actions in the gruesome scene that was 
Port-au-Prince.
  Corpsmen Gomez set up a minihospital and triage directly in the 
streets of the capital. He set broken bones and he closed wounds, all 
the while having to create tools and making do with limited supplies. 
His actions were as resourceful, were as inventive and as innovative as 
they were lifesaving. Corpsman Gomez's ``dirt medicine'' was an example 
of American values at its finest. This great young American and father 
of four truly led by example, and I join with those whose lives he 
saved in thanking him for all that he has done.
  Through efforts like those of Corpsman Gomez, the wonderful crew of 
the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk helped save countless lives and 
performed their mission in accordance with the best traditions of the 
U.S. Coast Guard. Their assistance was both essential and invaluable.
  We have all seen the devastation that is present at the island nation 
of Haiti, and it is beyond words. The United States has a unique duty 
to protect, to defend, and to support freedom, and all peoples, around 
the globe. As proven by the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard 
Cutter Mohawk, this noble cause lives on in our Nation's oldest 
continuous seagoing service.
  The efforts of the command and crew of the Mohawk have supplied a 
lifeline of humanitarian assistance to Haiti and will certainly help 
ignite the spirit of hope for recovery in that devastated island 
nation.
  Every day, I give thanks to our local Coast Guard personnel, no 
matter how they serve. Their efforts are first and foremost to 
safeguard our Florida coastline. This fact is never lost on me or 
anyone else in south Florida. We feel their presence every day and take 
comfort in the fact that the men and women of the Coast Guard Sector 
Miami, as well as the Sector Key West, truly lived their motto, 
``Always ready.''
  We as a nation can never repay those who serve, but we can take pride 
in knowing that those men and women have served not just our community 
but our neighbors in need as well. Their humanitarian mission reminds 
us all of what it means to be an American and why we should be so proud 
to say, every day, ``I am an American.''
  The commitment of the U.S. Coast Guard is illustrative of how we must 
all do our part to help with continuing relief efforts in Haiti. To 
each and every crew member on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk, I say 
thank you: Commanding Officer Robert T. Hendrickson, Executive Officer 
John J. Driscoll, Corpsman Second Class Elias Gomez, and all of the 
crew as well as the families who support these heroes, thank you. Your 
works are testimony to our great Nation. ``Always ready,'' and we thank 
you for it.
  Thank you, U.S. Coast Guard. Thank you, Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk. 
Welcome home. Godspeed.

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