[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 164 (Thursday, October 17, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          CHARLESTON C-17 CREW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Cunningham) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the heroic actions 
of Captain Forrest Lampela, Captain Ken Dickenscheidt, Senior Airman 
Chris Bowers, Airman First Class Timothy Henn, and Technical Sergeant 
Nick Scarmeas, who broke diplomatic protocol and fought near-zero 
visibility to save the life of a U.S. Navy sailor who was wounded in 
combat.
  The Joint Base Charleston crew was flying a critically injured sailor 
to Walter Reed from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Halfway through their 
mission, the sailor took a turn for the worse and needed immediate 
surgery. The commander, Captain Lampela, made the decision to turn 
around and make an emergency landing in Shannon, Ireland, in dense fog 
and without diplomatic clearance.
  In an incredibly stressful situation, the team fell back on their 
training and made a life-and-death decision that ultimately saved the 
life of their fellow servicemember. I am honored to commend them.

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