[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 65 (Thursday, May 12, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S2915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THANKING THE MISSOURI NATIONAL GUARD

  Mrs. McCASKILL. Madam President, I rise to make some brief comments 
about people at home I am so proud of. Over the past 3 weeks, my home 
State has been the site of heartbreaking destruction that resulted from 
a series of severe weather incidents throughout the State. We have also 
had the privilege of witnessing great acts of bravery, compassion, and 
neighbors being neighbors in response to these incidents. I wish to 
take just a moment to recognize the incredible character of Missourians 
and particularly to recognize the contributions made by the citizen-
soldiers and airmen of the Missouri National Guard.
  Today, weeks after historic flooding began, we continue to see its 
life-altering effects, in my State and others all along the Mississippi 
River. My prayers, and those of my colleagues, go out to all those who 
have and will continue to have their lives altered by this tragedy.
  I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Missouri delegation 
to make sure that the Federal Government provides the assistance 
necessary to help Missourians affected be tragedy to get back on their 
feet. Already, the President has granted the first Federal disaster 
assistance to individuals and households across the State. More 
announcements will come as damage assessments are completed. USDA is 
also poised to assist and will start holding public meetings in the 
affected areas to inform farmers and landowners of the help that they 
can receive.
  One thing that has struck me about the response to the storms has 
been the dignity and class with which Missourians have carried 
themselves. In my State, families have been driven from their homes, 
pushed away from their jobs, lost everything. Whether it is a family in 
North St. Louis whose home was destroyed by a tornado, or a producer 
whose family farm was submerged when the levee protecting it was 
intentionally breached, Missourians have drawn on their faith, their 
families, and their neighbors to pull through. I had the opportunity to 
spend time with some of these families during my trip to view flooding 
in southeast Missouri. Their courage is inspiring, and is an example of 
the American spirit that we all hold dear.
  We have had a rough year. The last 3 weeks have been particularly 
destructive, starting with the tornado and strong winds that ripped 
through the St. Louis area on Good Friday, April 22. This tornado, 
rated an EF-4, was estimated to be the strongest to hit the area in 
nearly four decades.
  As the tornado and storms battered the St. Louis area, rain continued 
to fall on southeast and southern Missouri. When Governor Jay Nixon 
made the decision to deploy the Missouri National Guard to assist local 
emergency responders in their efforts, it marked the 20th time in the 
past 6 years that the Missouri National Guard has provided such 
assistance, including the last time that catastrophic flooding struck 
the State, in 2008.
  Since their deployment to respond to this latest disaster, the 
Missouri National Guard, under the strong leadership of their adjutant 
general MG Stephen Danner, has provided invaluable support to the 
Governor, the Army Corps of Engineers, local responders and citizens 
across the scores of communities that have suffered damage. Two events 
from recent days provide a perfect summary of the service that these 
brave men and women continue to perform for the people of my State.
  Last week, the citizen-soldiers and airmen of the Missouri National 
Guard joined the people of Caruthersville, in Pemiscot County, to 
rapidly erect a secondary flood wall to support the existing wall. This 
wall, made of 60,000 sandbags stretched across over 3,000 feet, helped 
to provide safety and peace of mind for a community that feared the 
worst.
  A couple of counties away, Missouri National Guard members helped to 
save a 93-year-old trapped in her car as she tried to cross a flooded 
Black River. One of the guardsmen on the scene, seeing his first 
emergency duty, remarked ``we weren't there to be heroes, we were just 
doing our jobs.''
  The citizen-soldiers and airmen of the Missouri National Guard, while 
``just doing their jobs,'' have played an important role in supporting 
the flood response efforts of their neighbors.
  A member of the 1138th Military Police Company said it best when he 
said ``nothing makes you feel as good as being able to help your 
neighbors in Missouri.'' The Missouri National Guard, and the people 
they valiantly serve, are and will continue to be the embodiment of 
those words and the spirit that we all strive to personify. I thank 
them for their bravery, for their selflessness and for being great 
neighbors.
  We will all stand by to be of assistance as everyone recovers from 
the natural disasters that have brought such destruction to the State I 
love.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island is recognized.
  (The remarks of Mr. Whitehouse pertaining to the introduction of S. 
973 are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced 
Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

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