[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 134 (Thursday, September 17, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S6817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 259--HONORING THE BRAVERY AND HEROISM OF THOSE WHO 
  SELFLESSLY PREVENTED A DEADLY TERRORIST ATTACK AND SAVED COUNTLESS 
 LIVES WHILE ABOARD A PASSENGER TRAIN BOUND FROM AMSTERDAM TO PARIS ON 
                            AUGUST 21, 2015

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Merkley, Mr. 
McCain, Mr. Grassley, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Reid, Mr. Alexander, Ms. 
Ayotte, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
Blunt, Mr. Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Brown, Mr. Burr, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. 
Capito, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Coats, Mr. 
Cochran, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Corker, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Cotton, 
Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Daines, Mr. Donnelly, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Enzi, 
Mrs. Ernst, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Flake, Mr. Franken, Mr. Gardner, Mrs. 
Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. 
Heller, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Johnson, 
Mr. Kaine, Mr. King, Mr. Kirk, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Leahy, 
Mr. Lee, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Markey, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Menendez, Ms. 
Mikulski, Mr. Moran, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
Nelson, Mr. Paul, Mr. Perdue, Mr. Peters, Mr. Portman, Mr. Reed, Mr. 
Risch, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Sasse, Mr. 
Schatz, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Scott, Mr. Sessions, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Shelby, 
Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune, Mr. Tillis, Mr. 
Toomey, Mr. Udall, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Warner, Ms. Warren, Mr. Whitehouse, 
and Mr. Wicker) submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 259

       Whereas, on Friday, August 21, 2015, United States Air 
     Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone, Oregon Army National 
     Guard Specialist Aleksander Skarlatos, college student 
     Anthony Sadler, and others selflessly risked their lives and 
     forcibly subdued a gunman on a train carrying more than 500 
     passengers;
       Whereas the gunman was armed with a Kalashnikov assault 
     rifle, a handgun, a box cutter, and 9 magazines carrying 
     hundreds of rounds of ammunition and could have killed and 
     injured dozens of passengers had the gunman not been stopped;
       Whereas Mark Moogalian, a 51 year old French-American 
     professor and musician, courageously attempted to subdue the 
     gunman and wrestled the Kalashnikov away from the gunman, but 
     was shot by the gunman;
       Whereas United States Air Force Airman First Class Spencer 
     Stone, Oregon Army National Guard Specialist Aleksander 
     Skarlatos, college student Anthony Sadler, and British 
     consultant Chris Norman took courageous action on their own 
     initiative and forcibly subdued the gunman, rendering the 
     gunman unconscious and tying up the gunman on the floor of 
     the train with t-shirts;
       Whereas United States Air Force Airman First Class Spencer 
     Stone suffered serious injuries, including a partially 
     severed thumb, from the gunman's box cutter;
       Whereas, notwithstanding his own injuries, United States 
     Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone treated the wounds 
     and likely saved the life of French-American Mark Moogalian;
       Whereas French President Francois Hollande awarded United 
     States Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone, Oregon 
     Army National Guard Specialist Aleksander Skarlatos, college 
     student Anthony Sadler, and British consultant Chris Norman 
     the highest civilian honor in France, the Legion of Honor, 
     and pledged to do the same for French-American Mark Moogalian 
     and Frenchman Damien A., who also helped thwart the attack;
       Whereas the United States Air Force has stated that it will 
     nominate United States Air Force Airman First Class Spencer 
     Stone for the Airman's Medal, the highest award of the Air 
     Force for non-combat bravery;
       Whereas the United States Army has nominated Oregon Army 
     National Guard Specialist Aleksander Skarlatos for the 
     Soldier's Medal, the highest award of the Army for acts of 
     heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy;
       Whereas the Department of Defense will honor United States 
     Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone with the Purple 
     Heart award and Oregon Army National Guard Specialist 
     Aleksander Skarlatos and college student Anthony Sadler each 
     with an award for courage and valor;
       Whereas the city of Sacramento recognized the heroism of 
     United States Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone, 
     Oregon Army National Guard Specialist Aleksander Skarlatos, 
     and college student Anthony Sadler through a Hometown Heroes 
     Parade on the California Capitol Mall on September 11, 2015;
       Whereas United States Air Force Airman First Class Spencer 
     Stone, who is 23 years old and a resident of California, 
     joined the United States Air Force nearly 3 years ago and 
     serves as a medical technician stationed at Lajes Air Base in 
     the Azores;
       Whereas Oregon Army National Guard Specialist Aleksander 
     Skarlatos is 22 years old and a resident of Oregon and had 
     recently returned to Oregon after a 9 month deployment in 
     Afghanistan;
       Whereas Anthony Sadler is 23 years old, a resident of 
     California, and is a student studying kinesiology at the 
     California State University at Sacramento; and
       Whereas United States Air Force Airman First Class Spencer 
     Stone, Oregon Army National Guard Specialist Aleksander 
     Skarlatos, and college student Anthony Sadler were childhood 
     friends raised in the Sacramento area who were on vacation in 
     Europe together at the time they courageously and selflessly 
     thwarted a terrorist attack and saved countless lives: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors and commends the extraordinary bravery, courage, 
     and heroism of United States Air Force Airman First Class 
     Spencer Stone, Oregon Army National Guard Specialist 
     Aleksander Skarlatos, college student Anthony Sadler, French-
     American Mark Moogalian, British consultant Chris Norman, and 
     Frenchman Damien A., who selflessly risked their own lives to 
     prevent a terrorist attack that could have killed dozens 
     aboard a passenger train bound for Paris; and
       (2) extends best wishes for a full recovery to all innocent 
     individuals who were injured during the attack, including 
     United States Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone and 
     French-American Mark Moogalian.

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