[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 199 (Tuesday, November 16, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1241-E1242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE LIFE OF ERIC SAWYER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 2021

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, it is with great sorrow that I rise 
today to honor the life of the late Eric ``Ric'' Sawyer, a longstanding 
eastern Connecticut resident who passed on November 5, 2021, at the age 
of 76. Having served the State of Connecticut and our nation in a 
variety of capacities, public service was engrained within Ric's 
outlook on life. In fact, I can attest to the fact that community 
service was a vital aspect of the entire Sawyer family, as I had the 
opportunity to briefly serve with Ric's partner, Pamela Sawyer, in the 
Connecticut General Assembly, who is now going on to lead the Town of 
Bolton, Connecticut as its First Selectwoman after more than two 
decades in the Assembly.

[[Page E1242]]

  Born a stone's throw away in Providence, Rhode Island to Dr. Carl and 
Gertrude Sawyer, Ric was destined to spend his life giving back to his 
country. Ric joined the military at a young age in 1967, where he was 
commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and went on to proudly serve across 
seas as a pilot with the U.S. Army and National Guard (USANG) during 
the Vietnam Conflict. After a year on tour in Vietnam, Eric was not 
only promoted to the rank of captain for his integrity as a 
commissioned officer but then also shipped across the world to Germany 
for another two years in foreign service. Captain Sawyer concluded his 
long stint in active duty with countless recognitions of his skilled 
leadership through military campaigns. Among his several accolades, 
Captain Eric Sawyer was most notably bestowed with a Distinguished 
Flying Cross and the Bronze Star.
  After serving abroad, Ric returned home determined to strengthen his 
New England roots and direct his career in service toward his local 
community. Upon retiring from the USANG with a total of 27 years as a 
pilot, Ric spent the remainder of his career as a state police and 
corporate helicopter pilot. Though he was always dutiful in his work, 
Ric's prosperity was ultimately reflected by way of spending time with 
his family, network of friends and cultivation of several hobbies.
  Madam Speaker, it is an honor to represent constituents who are as 
humble, dutiful, and distinguished as Ric Sawyer. Though Ric's legacy 
and character will continue to have a ripple effect as a force of 
altruism, particularly for those who knew him in the Bolton community, 
his loss and what it means for the region cannot be understated. It is 
worth finding solace, however, in the impact that his legacy will have 
upon the local community as well as his surviving family and loved 
ones, namely, his wife Pam, daughters Margaret and Elizabeth and son-
in-law Sean, and six siblings. He is predeceased by one sibling, 
Richard Sawyer. To that end, I ask that the entire House join me in 
setting Eric Sawyer's name further into stone, and recognizing his life 
and service to our Nation.

                          ____________________