[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 14, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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             TRIBUTE TO SENIOR MASTER SERGEANT JEREMY MAYO

 Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize SMSGT 
Jeremy Mayo who has earned the Military Times 2021 Airman of the Year 
award after a remarkable 19 years of military service.
  Jeremy Mayo is a proud Arkansan who has dedicated his life to 
protecting and defending his country. Mayo grew up hearing stories 
about his grandfather's 20 years in the military and says it had a big 
influence in his life and served as his inspiration to join the Armed 
Forces.
  In his 10 deployments, he has handled a variety of crucial operations 
from dropping personnel to refilling helicopters, as well as resupply, 
infiltration, and exfiltration missions. He was initially drawn to the 
position for its unpredictability and the opportunity to work with some 
of the top military groups from a variety of branches. Mayo has 
demonstrated, time and time again, the grit and work ethic so crucial 
to the success of members of our military. To Mayo, the most important 
part of his job was simply to get the crew and the team he was 
supporting in and out and to get them home safely.
  Mayo praised the U.S. Air Force for instilling in him important 
traits such as leadership, saying the roles he has taken on forced him 
to really step up. As a Special Operations Command loadmaster, Mayo had 
been trained to roll with the punches, so when the coronavirus pandemic 
hit, he did just that.
  Mayo recognized the significance of the chemical aircrew 
survivability barrier, a tent-like, air-filtering structure for C-130 
airframes. He then helped develop plans to utilize this tool during the 
pandemic, making special operations crews increasingly self-sufficient 
and mobile in dangerous medical evacuations.
  His quick thinking and creativity in repurposing this chemical and 
biological contamination tent to protect troops from the coronavirus 
earned him this prestigious award and, more importantly, has helped 
protect countless servicemembers.
  While the pandemic presented a variety of challenges, Senior Master 
Sergeant Mayo clearly demonstrated his perseverance in the face of 
adversity. He deployed to three different regions of the world and 
served as the senior enlisted leader in an exercise that trained French 
special operations helicopter crews on refueling and seizure skills to 
prepare for combat in Africa.
  I applaud SMSGT Jeremy Mayo for his outstanding commitment and 
dedication to our Nation. He richly deserves this recognition for his 
ingenuity and determination, and we are proud of this Arkansan's 
distinguished record of service on behalf of our country. I commend him 
for all his efforts that have culminated in this honor and express my 
gratitude for his leadership and example.

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