[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 14, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2517-H2519]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE COAST GUARD GROUP ASTORIA
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 1062) recognizing the Coast Guard Group
Astoria's more than 60 years of service to the Pacific Northwest, and
for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1062
Whereas Coast Guard Group Astoria was established in 1948;
Whereas Coast Guard Group Astoria units are responsible for
safeguarding mariners in the often treacherous waters of the
Pacific Northwest;
Whereas Coast Guard Group Astoria's area of responsibility
covers more than 140 miles of coastline between Queets,
Washington, and Pacific City, Oregon;
Whereas helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria
regularly patrol and respond to offshore missions from the
Canadian border to northern California;
Whereas Coast Guard Group Astoria is comprised of Station
Grays Harbor in Westport, Washington; Station Cape
Disappointment in Ilwaco, Washington; Station Tillamook Bay
in Garibaldi, Oregon; Air Station Astoria in Warrenton,
Oregon; and Aids to Navigation Team Astoria at Tongue Point,
Oregon;
Whereas during an average year, Coast Guard Group Astoria
units respond to more than 800 search-and-rescue calls for
help, assist more than 1,700 mariners, and save nearly 100
lives;
Whereas the 325 men and women of Coast Guard Group Astoria
perform many missions including search and rescue, homeland
security, enforcement of laws and treaties, and maintenance
of Aids to Navigation;
Whereas Coast Guard Group Astoria supports local Coast
Guard cutters in maintaining 470 Aids to Navigation, enabling
mariners to safely navigate the coastal waters of Oregon and
Washington;
Whereas since 2003, the men and women of Coast Guard Group
Astoria have assisted more than 10,000 individuals in
distress and saved more than 500 lives;
Whereas since 2003, Coast Guard Group Astoria has conducted
more than 1,200 Living Marine Resources missions to ensure
commercial fishing vessel crews abide by Federal and State
laws in order to preserve fisheries for future generations;
Whereas since 2003, Coast Guard Group Astoria has spent
more than 1,000 hours responding to High Interest Vessels to
ensure the security of United States ports and waterways in
accordance with the Coast Guard's statutory homeland security
responsibilities;
Whereas during the December 2007 Pacific Northwest winter
storm, Coast Guard Air Station Astoria helicopter crews flew
28 sorties to rescue and save 136 persons as winds exceeded
130 knots; and
Whereas Coast Guard Group Astoria continues to protect the
Pacific Northwest and embody the Coast Guard motto, Semper
Paratus: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the Coast Guard Group Astoria's more than 60
years of service to the Pacific Northwest;
(2) honors the brave men and women of Coast Guard Group
Astoria who risk their lives daily to ensure the safety and
security of the people of the Pacific Northwest; and
(3) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to
make available enrolled copies of this resolution to Coast
Guard Group Astoria for appropriate display.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Cummings) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Coble) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland.
General Leave
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 1062.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Maryland?
There was no objection.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, as chairman of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and
Maritime Transportation, I rise in very strong support of H. Res. 1062
offered by Congressman Wu. This resolution recognizes the Coast Guard
Group Astoria for the more than 60 years of service it has provided to
the Pacific Northwest.
[[Page H2518]]
Founded in 1948, Group Astoria is today comprised of Station Grays
Harbor in Westport, Washington; Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco,
Washington; Station Tillamook Bay in Garibaldi, Oregon; Air Station
Astoria in Warrenton, Oregon; and Aids to Navigation Team Astoria at
Tongue Point, Oregon.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
April 14, 2010 on H2518 the following appeared: today
compromised of Station Grays
The online version should be corrected to read: today comprised
of Station Grays
========================= END NOTE =========================
Staffed by 325 Coast Guard members, Group Astoria oversees an area of
responsibility that covers 140 miles of coastline in Oregon and
Washington. In an average year, members of Group Astoria respond to
more than 800 search-and-rescue calls; and since 2003, Group Astoria
has saved more than 500 lives and assisted more than 10,000 individuals
in distress.
Group Astoria also supports the maintenance of 478 aids to
navigation, and over the last 7 years the group has conducted more than
1,200 missions to ensure that fishing vessels working in its area of
responsibility are in compliance with commercial fishing laws.
Later this year, Group Astoria will gain additional responsibilities
and will be renamed Sector Columbia River. The title Group Astoria will
become a historical name.
In advance of these planned transitions, H. Res. 1062 recognizes
Group Astoria for its service to the Pacific Northwest and honors the
members of the Coast Guard who have served at Group Astoria over the
past six decades. I join with my friend Congressman Wu and the five
cosponsors of H. Res. 1062 in honoring the service of Group Astoria,
the 13th District, and indeed of all our Coast Guard members.
I urge the adoption of the resolution by the House today and commend
Congressman Wu for his work on this resolution.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. COBLE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, House Resolution 1062, as indicated by the
distinguished chairman, recognizes the longstanding service of Coast
Guard Group Astoria to the people of the Pacific Northwest. Group
Astoria members, along with their partners at the co-located air
station, carry out search and rescue, maritime homeland security,
fisheries enforcement, and aids to navigation missions throughout their
area of responsibility.
Group Astoria is one of the last of its kind as the Coast Guard has
consolidated its personnel and mission capabilities through the
establishment of sectors. Members and assets currently assigned to
Group Astoria will be combined with other Coast Guard units to stand up
the new Sector Columbia River in Astoria later this year, and it is
fitting that we celebrate Group Astoria's long history as it embarks on
this transformation.
Madam Speaker, House Resolution 1062 gives this House the opportunity
to express thanks to members of Coast Guard Astoria and their
colleagues stationed at other Coast Guard sectors and groups for their
selfless service to protect those in need.
Madam Speaker, if I may assume a personal role, some years ago, as an
active-duty Coast Guardsman, I was assigned to the Port Security Unit
at Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River. So this resolution is
taking me down a nostalgic trail, a pleasant nostalgic trail. The past
is coming alive, reviving old memories.
So with that in mind, I join with the resolution's sponsor and
cosponsors in honoring their service and the service of all Coast Guard
members and officers.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
Mr. Wu.
Mr. WU. I thank the gentleman.
I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in supporting House
Resolution 1062, which recognizes Coast Guard Group Astoria's more than
60 years of service to the Pacific Northwest. And I thank the gentleman
for his service in Coast Guard Group Astoria, his personal service. I
want to welcome him back to Oregon any time he chooses to come.
For more than six decades, Coast Guard Group Astoria has served the
people of Oregon and Washington and the Pacific Northwest. The 325 men
and women of Group Astoria are responsible for patrolling more than 140
miles of coastline, stretching from Queets, Washington, to Pacific
City, Oregon, one of the most dangerous and beautiful expanses of water
in the world.
The group is compromised of Station Grays Harbor in Westport,
Washington; Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Washington; Air
Station Astoria in Warrenton, Oregon; Aids-to-Navigation Team Astoria
at Tongue Point, Oregon; and Station Tillamook Bay in Garibaldi,
Oregon.
Group Astoria carries out a diverse set of missions, from search and
rescue to law enforcement, and from environmental protection to aids to
navigation maintenance, but its contributions to our community do not
end there. Coast Guard members are also responsible for homeland
security functions vital to our national defense. Moreover, Group
Astoria personnel are ever-present sentinels guarding our coastal
waterways and enabling the safe and steady flow of both commercial and
recreational traffic.
I want to add as a personal note that I deeply appreciate the
community service and community contributions of the many individuals
in Coast Guard Group Astoria that I have known over the past years.
Group Astoria continues to embody the Coast Guard's motto, ``Semper
Paratus,'' always ready, each and every day. These men and women risk
their lives to ensure that those who venture to sea return home and
return home safely.
Each year, Coast Guard Group Astoria responds to roughly 800 search-
and-rescue calls for help, assists more than 1,700 mariners, and saves
nearly 100 lives. They do so in all types of weather and amid the many
challenges of our harsh and beautiful coastline.
{time} 1130
One effort in particular stands out in my mind, not only for its
heroism but also for the way that it lifted the spirits of all of those
affected: in December 2007, Oregon was hit by a winter storm with
hurricane-force winds in excess of 130 miles per hour. The storm
knocked out power in thousands of homes in northwest Oregon and
southwest Washington, and communication in many areas was completely
cut off.
Of the many heroes who distinguished themselves that week, the Coast
Guard ranks amongst the most courageous. For instance, Coast Guard Air
Station Astoria helicopter crews rescued over 130 people trapped by
flooding in Chehalis, Washington. In my personal visit there a day or
two after the storm, I met one of the rescue divers. He didn't tell me
the story, but his colleagues did.
With high winds blowing, he was dropped in the water near Chehalis.
There was a residential structure there, a home there. Not only were
the lights still on and electricity still flowing to that house, but
there was sheet metal flapping in a very strong wind there. At great
risk to himself, ignoring the hazard posed by flying sheet metal, he
entered this home and found an elderly gentleman lying on a floating
couch inside a flooded room. It takes a lot of courage to enter
structures like that, which is to do the right thing and to bring the
citizens of Oregon and Washington to safety.
For their extraordinary heroism, many of the aircrews involved in
these December 2007 rescues were awarded the Distinguished Flying
Cross. Group Astoria's bravery during that storm is just one example of
its service to Oregon's north coast. It illustrates the selflessness
and the professionalism that gives Group Astoria its reputation.
Madam Speaker, it is right and fitting that we should recognize Coast
Guard Group Astoria's service to the Pacific Northwest. These brave men
and women give so much to their fellow Americans, and they ask so
little in return.
At this time, I would like to specifically recognize the leadership
of Captain Peter Troedsson, who commanded Group Astoria during the 2007
winter storm, as well as Captain Doug Kaup, Group Astoria's current
commander.
I am grateful for Coast Guard Group Astoria's service, and I ask my
colleagues to join me in recognizing their ongoing efforts in
protecting the people of the Pacific Northwest. I urge my colleagues to
support House Resolution 1062.
Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
[[Page H2519]]
Madam Speaker, let me associate myself with the words of both of my
colleagues. Again, I want to thank Mr. Wu for sponsoring the
resolution. I also want to thank Mr. Coble for his service, not only to
the United States Coast Guard, but to our subcommittee. He is one of
our strongest members and has tremendous passion about the Coast Guard.
As I was listening to both of them, I could not help but think about
the fact that the Coast Guard does not always get the recognition that
it deserves. It has a little bit over 41,000 members. It is a small
agency, a small organization; but I call them our thin blue line at
sea. Certainly, Coast Guard Group Astoria is typical of the men and
women whom I see all over our country as I travel, and I commend them
on so many things that they have done so well.
On that note, when we look back at Katrina and at all of the agencies
which operated during Katrina, there is absolutely no question that the
United States Coast Guard was the agency that went far beyond the call
of duty, rescuing some 35,000-plus lives. Many of these people would
have perished if it were not for the bravery and the courage of the
United States Coast Guard.
In this resolution, while we are addressing Coast Guard Group
Astoria, I think it also says to the other members of the Coast Guard
that we are a grateful Congress and that we appreciate everything that
they do every day in putting their lives on the line so that they can
continue to be our thin blue line at sea.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1062,
as amended, introduced by the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu),
recognizing the Coast Guard Group Astoria's more than 60 years of
service to the Pacific Northwest.
With 325 Coast Guard personnel and six units, Group Astoria's area of
responsibility encompasses over 140 miles of coastline between Queets,
Washington, and Pacific City, Oregon. Group Astoria conducts numerous
missions, such as search and rescue, aids-to-navigation, homeland
security, and enforcement of laws and treaties.
Each year, Coast Guard Group Astoria receives more than 800 distress
calls, assists over 1,700 mariners and save approximately 100 people
from perishing at sea. Since 2003, Group Astoria has saved over 500
lives and assisted more than 10,000 recreational boaters and commercial
mariners in distress.
Since 2003, Group Astoria had conducted over 1,200 Living Marine
Resource missions to ensure commercial fishing vessels are not over-
fishing in certain areas, conserving marine resources for future
generations.
Air Station Astoria assets provide coverage and respond to offshore
distress calls up to the Canadian border and down to northern
California. In December 2007, crews from Air Station Astoria flew 28
sorties in 130 knot winds during the Pacific Northwest winter storm
saving 136 people. Air Station Astoria also provides assistance to the
Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and other local responders with
inland search and rescue.
This August, Group Astoria will gain additional responsibilities and
will be redesignated as Sector Columbia River, making the title ``Group
Astoria'' a historical name. In light of these planned transitions, H.
Res. 1062 recognizes Coast Guard Group Astoria for 60 years of noble
service and honors the brave Coast Guard men and women who put their
lives at risk every day for the safety and security of the people in
the Pacific Northwest.
I thank the gentleman from Oregon for bringing forth this resolution
to recognizing the Coast Guard Group Astoria's more than 60 years of
service to the Pacific Northwest.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1062.
Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res.
1062 that recognizes the Coast Guard Group Astoria's more than 60 years
of service to the Pacific Northwest.
Let me take a moment to commend Congressman David Wu for bringing
this resolution to the floor and giving us the opportunity to commend
the Coast Guard for its continued service.
The Coast Guard Group Astoria, based out of Warrenton, Oregon,
operates three Sikorsky HH-60 Jayhawk helicopters as it patrols and
responds to emergencies throughout the Pacific Northwest. I know how
important the Coast Guard is because of its presence in the Port of
Long Beach in the 37th District of California, which I represent. I see
on a regular basis just how hard those men and women work to protect
our coastal areas and waterways. Their presence in my district, as well
as my position on the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on
Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, make me acutely aware of how
important the Coast Guard is to our national security and safety.
We are indebted to the men and women who dedicate their lives to the
Coast Guard. These brave men and women, such as those who have spent
the last 60 years working for Coast Guard Astoria, are ready and
willing to serve their country in whatever way necessary. I support
this resolution and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1062, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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