[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 120 (Monday, September 10, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1467-E1468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NAVY LT. BRAD SNYDER EARNS OLYMPIC GOLD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 10, 2012

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to provide my colleagues 
with an update on a remarkable young man, Navy Lt. Brad Snyder, of St. 
Petersburg, Florida, an American hero who lost his eye sight in 
Afghanistan while carrying out an extremely dangerous mission as a 
member of an explosive ordinance detail.
  When I last reported to you in July, Lt. Snyder, who I had the 
privilege to appoint to the U.S. Naval Academy, had just qualified to 
represent the United States swim team at the London 2012 Paralympic 
Games. Today, I am proud to report to you that Lt. Snyder has brought 
home two gold medals and one silver

[[Page E1468]]

medal. He was one of the truly inspirational stories of these games. So 
inspirational in fact, that his teammates selected him to serve as the 
U.S. flag bearer for last night's closing ceremonies.
  Lt. Snyder is symbolic of the indomitable spirit of our men and women 
in uniform in our all volunteer force. He volunteered to attend the 
U.S. Naval Academy and upon graduation he volunteered for assignment to 
the dangerous explosive ordinance disposal team. With injuries that 
would have devastated most people, he found the courage to reenter the 
pool to represent our nation in front of the world in such a dramatic 
manner.
  You will recall that Brad was selected as the Captain of the Naval 
Academy Swim Team because his coaches, teammates, and fellow sailors 
all recognized his exceptional work ethic and trustworthy behavior. 
After graduating in May 2006, Lt. Snyder became an Explosive Ordinance 
Officer. He served for six months in Iraq and was deployed to 
Afghanistan on April 11, 2011. While his unit was on patrol there on 
September 7, 2011, the front of the patrol team set off an IED. While 
providing aid, Lt. Snyder stepped on a pressure plate, detonating 
another unseen IED. The second blast inflicted severe burns and 
permanently blinded him.
  Less than two months after losing his sight, Lt. Snyder returned to 
the swimming pool and swam several hundred meters on his first attempt. 
Appropriately enough, it was one year to the date of his injuries that 
Brad won his second gold medal at the London Games.
  As I said in July, I was struck when I went back and read Brad's 
candidate statement to me from 11 years ago as part of his application 
to the Naval Academy. In it he wrote, ``Initially it was Olympic gold 
that I dreamed of, but as reality set in I realized that the military 
was a more realistic dream. Today I dream that I will be an officer in 
the best Navy the world has ever seen, and I hope that my contributions 
to the Navy can help it grow strong.''
  Mr. Speaker, Lt. Brad Snyder has achieved his goals on both fronts--
serving our nation with honor as a United States Naval officer, and 
winning Olympic gold. Far greater though, is the way in which he 
demonstrated to the world the courage and commitment of all U.S. 
service members when he entered that pool and when he carried the Stars 
and Stripes into the Olympic Stadium. This is a remarkable young man 
with a remarkable story and he deserves the thanks and appreciation of 
all of the members of this House for a job well done.

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