[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E401-E402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING BENJAMIN HOOPER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM PRICE

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 17, 2010

  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Benjamin 
Ryan Hooper of Boy Scout Troop 317 in Johns Creek, Georgia.
  By reaching the rank of Eagle Scout, Benjamin has done something that 
fewer than two percent of all who participate in Scouting ever achieve. 
This accomplishment is worthy of honor and recognition in its own 
right, but it is not why I speak to you today. Instead, I rise to 
commend Benjamin for the heroism he displayed, with the help of his 
brother Graham.
  As residents of the Sixth District of Georgia, the Hoopers are 
constituents of mine. And like thousands of Georgians, they faced off 
against the devastating floodwaters that ravaged our State last 
September. This historic flood resulted in the deaths of at least ten 
Georgians. Fourteen Georgia counties were declared federal disaster 
areas, and the cost of the damage has been estimated at $500 million. 
It was a difficult time, to say the least. But thanks to the actions of 
Benjamin Hooper, his family was able to avoid an even greater tragedy.
  On September 21, 2009, Benjamin and his brother Graham arrived home 
from school to learn that two of their younger brothers had been 
playing in a flooded area and got caught in the rising waters and 
strengthening current. They had each managed to grab hold of a tree but 
were unable to get away from the rushing waters. These two young boys 
were now in grave danger of being swept away.
  Upon hearing this, Benjamin jumped back in his car and raced to the 
scene. He quickly jumped into the water in an attempt to reach his 
stranded brothers, but the debris-filled creek was moving too quickly. 
Graham and Mrs. Hooper soon arrived with a length of garden hose which 
they passed to the two struggling boys so they could be pulled to 
safety. One of the boys made it, but the youngest brother Cole lost his 
grip and disappeared beneath the swiftly moving water.
  Ignoring the danger to themselves, both Benjamin and Graham 
immediately jumped in after Cole. The current soon pulled Graham too 
far downstream, but once Cole surfaced, Benjamin was able to swim to 
his younger brother and hold his head above the water. The raging 
current then carried the boys downstream where they passed through a 
tunnel beneath a nearby road. By this point, the water level had risen 
to only a few feet below the top of this tunnel.
  After successfully navigating this danger, Benjamin passed Cole off 
to Graham, who was now stationed by a nearby tree. Graham was then able 
to pull Cole out of the creek, but Benjamin was forced to continue 
swimming until he reached an area where the current had subsided. After 
exiting the creek himself, Benjamin walked back to his now reunited 
family, checked everyone for injuries, took steps to prevent the onset 
of hypothermia, and helped to calm his understandably upset mother. 
Miraculously, none of the Hooper boys had suffered serious injuries 
despite the life threatening peril they endured.
  For his courageous and quick action, the Boy Scouts of America 
awarded Benjamin Hooper the Medal of Honor with Crossed Palms. Only 231 
of these medals have been awarded since its inception in 1938. In the 
humble fashion always exhibited by true heroes, Benjamin said after 
receiving the award that, ``I was just there at the right time.''
  So it is with great admiration that I pay tribute to Benjamin Hooper 
here in the U.S. House of Representatives today. May our entire Nation 
take heed of both his immeasurable courage and tremendous humility.

[[Page E402]]



                          ____________________