[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S4882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Thai Rescue Mission

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the world breathed a sigh of relief. For 
almost 2 weeks now, we have had our attention focused on 12 children, 
Thai soccer team players who were lured into a cave with their coach 
and were thought to be lost for days. They couldn't be found in that 
flooded cave.
  Then came the good news that they were discovered. They were still 
alive. It was a miracle.
  Then came an extraordinary challenge: how to safely bring these 12 
children out of this trap they were in and bring them to safety. I 
cannot imagine the effort that was undertaken. It included countries 
from around the world and the United States coming together to provide 
extraordinary levels of assistance at great cost to save the lives of 
these 12 children, to bring them out of this trap they were in and 
reunite them with their families.
  All the prayers and all the hard work, all the bravery and all the 
investment paid off. These children are safe, as is their coach. They 
are currently being tended to for medical care, but the day will soon 
come when they will be back in the warm embrace of their families.
  It was a great illustration of the caring heart of people around the 
world for children they had never seen; children who, through no fault 
of their own, found themselves in a deadly circumstance; children 
separated from their families with no hope when it came to their 
future. People responded. It was a great moment for the world to 
reflect on those children.