[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 67 (Thursday, April 17, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E320-E321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE HEROIC ACTIONS OF MR. DANNY WELLS OF PECULIAR, MO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK ALFORD

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 17, 2025

  Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a heroic resident 
of Missouri's Fourth Congressional District, Mr. Danny Wells.
  Mr. Wells is a team leader for the public works department in the 
city of Peculiar. Earlier this year, middle Missouri was in the grips 
of a historic cold front with temperatures well below freezing and wind 
chills regularly hovering in the single digits.
  On January 24th, with the temperature in the twenties, Danny was 
driving down State Highway YY. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted 
a young child in a ditch--barely clothed and shivering in the cold. Mr. 
Wells jumped into action. After searching for any adults nearby, he 
pulled over and literally gave the boy the coat off his back and the 
hat off

[[Page E321]]

his head. Danny then put the boy in the truck, cranked up the heat, and 
began rubbing his feet to warm them.
  Danny immediately radioed the proper authorities to get this boy the 
medical care he desperately needed. With temperatures so low, the risk 
of catastrophe was imminent. Peculiar Police Chief Don Shepard, who was 
on the scene, said the boy ``was near hypothermic and might well have 
died had Danny not found him.''
  Danny is an Army Veteran and having served in Iraq and Afghanistan, 
he is no stranger to perilous situations. And this specific situation 
was personal to him. ``I've got grandkids about the same age, so it 
just hit pretty close to home. Serving the public is what we're here 
for; it is what we do. I hope anybody in that situation would have done 
the same thing,'' Mr. Wells said.
  On behalf of the Fourth District, we thank Mr. Wells for his service 
to our Nation and the community of Peculiar. His actions make clear he 
has a servant's heart and takes his work seriously. We applaud his 
heroic actions to prevent a disaster on that January afternoon.

                          ____________________