[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 18663-18664]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE VALOR OF WALT AND DONYELLE WILKINS

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
courage and bravery of a newlywed couple from Greenville, South 
Carolina. This past Sunday, Walt and Donyelle Wilkins were flying to 
their honeymoon destination in the Bahamas when their commuter flight 
crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Abaco Island.

[[Page 18664]]

  Of the nine passengers and pilot aboard, Diane Parker Diaz of 
Jacksonville, Florida, and her 3-year-old niece, Dante Parker, did not 
survive. However, Diaz's two children, Andre Parker Diaz and Elisa 
Parker Diaz, were saved through the selfless efforts of Walt and 
Donyelle.
  Disregarding immediate personal safety, the Wilkins couple stayed 
behind and held the children above them in the water as they treaded 
water for over an hour waiting for rescue.
  I ask all of my colleagues to join me in thanking Walt and Donyelle 
Wilkins for their heroic act, continuing the tradition of the dedicated 
Wilkins family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who were 
involved in the tragic event.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops.

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