[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4710]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       DENMARK'S CROWN PRINCE MAKES DARING TREK ACROSS GREENLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 5, 2000

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, as a Co-Chair of the Danish Caucus, I would 
like to take a moment to recognize and commend the actions of the young 
heir to the Danish throne, Crown Prince Frederik. It is quite 
encouraging to see a young man who serves as a model of behavior for 
the youth of Denmark and who uses his time and influence to educate 
others and serve his country. Presently--instead of lounging about 
Frederiksborg, the Danish Royal Palace--Prince Frederik is serving as 
the medic for a four month, 2,200 mile dog sled expedition across 
Greenland with five other members of the Greenland patrol.
  The Los Angeles Times (March 3, 2000) described the Prince's 
adventure: ``The 31-year-old heir to the Danish throne has . . . served 
in the army, navy, and Danish version of the Seabees. The Harvard 
graduate will get his pilot's license and will train with the air force 
after the Greenland expedition, [called] Sirius 2000.''
  Every step of Sirius 2000 is broadcast on the expedition's website 
(http://www.expedition.tv2.dk), which has drawn ``enormous interest, 
especially among school children who are following the expedition as 
part of their studies,'' according to Freddy Neuman, whose public 
relations agency is handling media inquiries about the trip. The effort 
unites TV2 with the Ministry of Education in a project to teach young 
Danes about Greenland.
  Crown Prince Frederik's daring outdoor adventure teaches 
schoolchildren and the general public alike about Greenland, the frigid 
and thinly populated land that has been under Danish rule for most of 
the last two centuries. According to the Los Angeles Times, ``Scholars 
and scientists at the Arctic Institute and the Danish Polar Council 
here say they are thrilled that Frederik's participation is putting the 
territory, its indigenous people, and the Greenland Patrol--which is 
marking its 50th anniversary with the event--on the global map.'' Leif 
Vanggaard, a retired navy captain and surgeon with 30 years experience 
treating Arctic injuries, said of the expedition: ``The TV programs and 
web site and all these connections to schools make it educational as 
well as functional.''
  Mr. Speaker, Crown Prince Frederik's trek across frigid Greenland is 
helping to remind mainland Denmark of its other thinly populated, yet 
environmentally rich territory. The Prince's daily courage and 
dedication to his mission and the nation are notable accomplishments, 
and an inspirational demonstration of how a privileged young man can 
wisely use his public visibility to benefit others.

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