[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21641]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       IN MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF COAST GUARD HELICOPTER CG-6505

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2008

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast 
Guard and Maritime Transportation, I rise today to pay a special 
tribute to four members of the United States Coast Guard.
  Lieutenant Commander Andrew Wischmeier, Aviation Survival Technician 
First Class David Skimin, and Aviation Maintenance Technician Second 
Class Joshua Nichols, were all killed when the helicopter in which they 
were conducting training exercises crashed near Honolulu, Hawaii, on 
September 4.
  Commander Thomas Nelson, who was the Executive Officer of Air Station 
Barbers Point and was also flying as part of the training mission, 
remains missing.
  The active search for Commander Nelson, which encompassed an area of 
more than 3,000 square miles and involved not only Coast Guard 
personnel but officials from the City of Honolulu, the United States 
Navy, and the Air National Guard, has now been suspended.
  Commander Nelson, who is originally from Staten Island, had been 
stationed at Barbers Point since the summer of last year. During his 
20-year career, he had served as Deputy Chief of the Office of Security 
and Defense Operations at Coast Guard Headquarters here in Washington, 
and at air stations in Louisiana, New York, and Washington state.
  Lieutenant Commander Wischmeier, the pilot of the helicopter at the 
time it crashed, was from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He graduated from 
Naval Flight School in 1991 and over his 19-year Coast Guard career, he 
served at air stations in Florida, Louisiana, and Alaska.
  Petty Officer Skimin was from San Bernardino, California. An 
experienced rescue swimmer, he had served at air stations in Texas, 
California, and Alaska over his 16-year career.
  Petty Officer Nichols was from Gloucester, Virginia, and had been in 
the Coast Guard for 8 years. He was a flight mechanic and had 
previously been stationed in Alabama and at several bases in 
California.
  Each of these men was married and had children.
  These men gave their lives in service to our nation. As members of 
the Coast Guard, their mission--the mission to which they chose to 
devote their professional careers--was saving lives.
  To those who are in peril at sea, the sight of a Coast Guard 
helicopter coming over the horizon means that help is at hand--and that 
the often desperate hopes of people whose lives are truly at stake are 
about to be realized.
  Throughout their careers, these four men, who combined more than 60 
years of service, each contributed their strength, skills, and 
dedication to making such rescues possible.
  My prayers are with the families of those who have been lost to us, 
the men and women of Barbers Point, and the nearly 42,000 men and women 
of the Coast Guard who together comprise our thin blue line at sea.
  My prayers are also with all the members of the Coast Guard. Every 
day as they conduct search and rescue operations, interdict illegal 
drugs, respond to pollution and national security incidents, and man 
cutters and aircraft, each member of the Coast Guard faces the same 
risks that Commander Nelson, Commander Wischmeier, Petty Officer 
Skimin, and Petty Officer Nichols faced with the same dedication to 
duty that these four showed.
  Just this week, we have again seen the Coast Guard's dedication in 
action as they have worked to aid those who have been so terribly 
affected by Hurricane Ike, including rescuing more than 200 people.
  We thank the members of this service for their heroic efforts--and 
mourn with them the tragic loss of their comrades.

                          ____________________