[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 29054]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             MATTHEW SCOTT

  (Mr. LARSEN of Washington asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
heroism of a man named Matthew Scott, who nearly 9 years ago performed 
an act of uncommon courage that saved the life of a young woman in my 
congressional district.
  In August of 1997, a 15-year-old woman and her friend were driving on 
a narrow, windy road near a dangerous area called Deception Pass. 
Unable to see the road, Leslie, the driver, drove off a 185-foot cliff 
into the freezing ocean below. Her passenger managed to jump to safety 
from the truck before it went over the edge. At the same time, Matthew 
Scott, a young Naval Chief Petty Officer, was driving by the location 
when he spotted a busted guardrail and a group of people pointing to 
the waters below.
  Matthew scaled down the treacherous, dark cliff with only a small 
flashlight to guide him. At the bottom of his 185-foot descent, he swam 
30 yards out in strong tides and frigid water to rescue Leslie who had 
suffered a broken back, leg, and arm. Because of his selfless, 
courageous heroics, Leslie is now a 24-year-old mother and a manager of 
a local coffee shop.
  Matthew has continued to dedicate his life to one of military service 
and is now a lieutenant studying for his MBA at the Naval Post Graduate 
School in California. As a member of the House Armed Services 
Committee, I am honored to have had Lieutenant Scott serve at Naval Air 
Station Whidbey Island in Washington State's Second Congressional 
District, so I come to the floor of the House of Representatives today 
to honor him and call on all my colleagues to look to Matthew's example 
to inspire us and spur us on to our own acts of selfless service and 
care.
  Because of Matthew's humble heroics, Leslie is alive today. Matthew 
himself is not just a good father and not just a good sailor, he is a 
great person and a true hero.

                          ____________________