[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 54 (Friday, March 24, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING CHIEF SPECIAL WARFARE OPERATOR (SEAL) MICHAEL ERNST

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAY GRANGER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 24, 2023

  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of U.S. Navy 
Chief Special Warfare Operator Michael T. Ernst, a highly decorated 
Navy SEAL who tragically died on February 19, 2023, while conducting 
military freefall training in Arizona. He was an American hero who 
dedicated his life in service of our country.
  Michael grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts playing hockey, lacrosse. 
and the drums, and was never far from his five siblings and loving 
parents. Following high school, Michael attended Denison University 
where he would meet his future bride, Megan, and earn a Bachelor of 
Arts in Economics in 2008.
  Michael's spirit of adventure and commitment to service drove him to 
enlist in the U.S. Navy in 2010, and shortly thereafter he realized his 
dream of becoming a Navy SEAL. During his 13 years of naval service, he 
became a highly decorated combat veteran with a multitude of 
deployments around the world, and host of awards for valor including 
the Silver Star Medal awarded for his heroic actions on a daring rescue 
operation.
  Michael was relentlessly committed to self-improvement and would also 
go on to cap his Navy career by earning a Master's of Business 
Administration, as a Sloan Fellow, from the prestigious Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology in 2022.
  Michael truly excelled as a husband, father, son, brother, friend, 
and teammate. He was a larger-than-life man and a warrior who served 
both our Nation and his family honorably. Mr. Speaker, today I ask my 
colleagues to join Michael's wife Megan, his children Reilly and Judah, 
and his parents, siblings, friends, and teammates in celebrating his 
life, recognizing the sacrifices he made for us, and extending our 
deepest gratitude for his noble service to our great country.

                          ____________________