[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 117 (Thursday, July 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H6163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            MOMENT OF SILENCE HONORING ENSIGN SARAH MITCHELL

  (Mr. FITZPATRICK asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise 
today in memory of Ensign Sarah Mitchell, a naval officer serving on 
Active Duty who passed away on July 8 due to injuries sustained in a 
training accident in Aqaba, Jordan.
  Sarah was raised in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, and attended Lower 
Southampton Elementary School and Poquessing Middle School before 
attending Neshaminy High School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
  While at Neshaminy, Sarah excelled in the classroom, as well as being 
a member of the school's field hockey team, basketball team, and track 
and field team.
  Lisa Pennington, Sarah's field hockey coach, described her as the 
person you would always remember as smiling and working hard to be 
successful.
  Upon graduation from Neshaminy High School, Sarah attended and 
graduated from Virginia Tech University, where she was a member of the 
Corps of Cadets.
  Regarded as an exceptional student athlete and member of our 
community, Sarah's decision to serve our Nation came as no surprise to 
those who knew her best.
  Her longtime friend Emily Curtin had these amazing words about Sarah 
in our local paper, the Bucks County Courier Times: ``She was fearless 
in the pursuit of everything she wanted, never settling for less. Sarah 
never left anyone behind. Sarah's loyalty to her family, fiance, 
friends, and country was undeniable. She carried the burdens of others 
and helped every person'' she encountered who was in need.
  Mr. Speaker, may all of us use the legacy Sarah left us as a guide to 
live in a way that exemplifies patriotism and courage.
  We send our deepest condolences to Sarah's fiance, Dave Collins; her 
parents, Jack and Betsy; her siblings, Kevin, Kristy, John, and 
Jillian.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask our colleagues to join us in a moment of silence 
for Ensign Sarah Mitchell, an American hero.

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