[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 41 (Thursday, March 9, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S1738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO GLEN HANSON

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I have been coming down to the floor for 
the past several months recognizing Alaskans who make our State great 
and our country better for all of us. I really enjoy doing this because 
it gives me an opportunity to share the excellent work my citizens are 
doing in their communities. It also gives me a few minutes to highlight 
to all my colleagues here in the Senate--and to some of those Americans 
who might be watching at home--to talk a little bit more about the 
unique place I call home and am honored to serve and represent in the 
Senate.
  This week, I would like to honor pilot Glen Hanson, who is right now 
somewhere flying above racing sled dogs in the far north in Alaska, 
literally as we speak.
  Before I get to how he is helping Alaskans and how he is this week's 
Alaskan of the Week, let me take you back through a remarkable bit of 
history that happened in Nome, AK, in 1925, when a diphtheria serum was 
desperately needed for the children in Nome. The nearest batch of serum 
was 1,000 miles away in Anchorage, AK. There weren't--and still 
aren't--any roads that connect Nome to Anchorage. There was very 
challenging winter weather during this time, so no airplanes could fly. 
In fact, the nearest train station was over 700 miles away from Nome, 
so people traveled mostly by dog sled.
  On the night of January 27, 1925, musher ``Wild Bill'' Shannon tied a 
20-pound package of serum wrapped in protective fur around his sled. He 
and his nine dogs started the journey called then the ``Great Race of 
Mercy'' across the frozen Alaska land. Miles later, he met up with 
another racer and another team of dogs, and the relay continued all 
across Alaska, over 1,000 miles--20 mushers and 150 sled dogs--through 
some of the world's most rugged terrain and some of the world's most 
brutal weather. In fact, right now in parts of Alaska where the 
Iditarod is happening, it is 40 to 50 below zero.
  That original race, the Great Race of Mercy, began to be reenacted, 
with some twists, in 1973 and continues today. In fact, it is going on 
right now, the Iditarod, the Last Great Race, in my great State. People 
from all across the world come to participate in it and come to watch 
it. It is the quintessential Alaskan event that involves the work of 
hundreds of Alaskans, lodge owners, veterinarians, dogs, dog handlers, 
volunteers, pilots--hundreds, thousands.
  Alaska, as you might know, is home to more veterans per capita than 
any other State, but we are also home to more pilots per capita than 
any other State. Our pilots are a vital part of our economy and 
transportation, and they are a vital part of the Iditarod. In fact, the 
race couldn't exist without them.
  Every year, more than a dozen volunteer pilots load their planes for 
the Iditarod race with more than 100,000 pounds of dog food, hundreds 
of bales of hay, and lumber for tents. They fly the veterinarians, the 
judges, the dog handlers, and so many of the volunteers out to the 
checkpoints hundreds of miles away. We call them the Iditarod Air 
Force, and every one of them deserves recognition.
  That gets me back to Anchorage resident Glen Hanson, who is our 
Alaskan of the Week. Glen, along with his brother Bert, is tied among 
this year's pilots as the longest serving volunteer in the Iditarod Air 
Force. He began volunteering for the Last Great Race--the Iditarod Air 
Force--in 1984. Glen has since put in roughly 1,500 hours of volunteer 
time, making sure that the Last Great Race continues and that the dogs 
and the mushers are taken care of--taken care of right now in 40 to 50 
below zero, as this race is going on.
  This year, Glen won the Alaska Air Carriers Association Iditarod 
Humanitarian Service Award. Upon receiving it, the Air Carriers 
Association wrote to Glen:

       You are obviously an accomplished pilot held in high regard 
     by your peers. While there are many volunteers working to 
     make the race possible, you consistently go above and beyond 
     the call of duty. You are always quietly willing to take 
     every assignment, no matter how unglamorous or uncomfortable. 
     You step up time after time to fly in the challenging air 
     strips to ensure that the musher supplies and race personnel 
     are available to keep the race safe.

  Thank you, Glen, for all you do to keep our great Alaska history 
alive. And thanks to all the pilots in the Iditarod Air Force this year 
and so many of the other volunteers who keep everybody safe--and are 
doing it right now during this year's Iditarod. And to all the mushers 
and these great dogs, good luck. Everyone involved makes this truly the 
last great race in America.

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