[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 76 (Monday, May 18, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF SSGT FALEAGAFULU ILAOA

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                   HON. AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 18, 2015

  Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Staff Sergeant 
(SSGT) Faleagafulu Ilaoa, who lost his life while serving our great 
nation.
  Ilaoa, whose parents hailed from the village of Leone, American Samoa 
was born on April 6, 1948, in San Francisco, CA, SSGT Ilaoa spent his 
youth like many of us do . . . dreaming of one day serving his country 
in our armed forces. Never to be deterred from his goals; following 
graduation from high school, Ilaoa joined the Air Force as a Military 
Policeman. These men not only serve as police officers to their fellow 
service members, but also participated in rescue operations, often in 
hostile territory.
  On Monday, May 13, 1975, the U.S. merchant ship Mayaguez was seized 
by Khmer Rouge forces off the coast of Cambodia. The following evening 
a rescue operation to save those on board the merchant vessel was 
launched by the Air Force's 56th Security Police Squadron (SPS).
  At around 8:30 in the evening, on route to the Mayaguez, the Chinook 
helicopter carrying the 23 security police operators, including SSGT 
Ilaoa disappeared from radar approximately 40 miles from their base in 
a remote area of Northwest Thailand. To this day, the cause of the 
crash, whether it was mechanical malfunction, pilot error or enemy 
fire, is not known.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members of the U.S. House of Representatives 
to join me recognizing the sacrifice of all who lost their lives on 
this mission and I personally would like to salute SSGT Ilaoa for his 
service to our nation and the proud legacy he left for all American 
Samoans.

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