[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 10111-10112] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]MASTER SERGEANT BRIAN CREMEANS HONORED WITH ARMY SOLDIER'S MEDAL ______ HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG of florida in the house of representatives Tuesday, May 20, 2008 Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, It was my distinct privilege this morning to participate in ceremonies here at the Capitol to honor Army MSG Sergeant Brian L. Cremeans with the Soldier's Medal for heroism. During a 2003 tour of duty in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Master Sergeant Cremeans, an explosive ordnance disposal technician, was conducting a controlled demolition of 4,000 pounds of high explosives that were captured from the Taliban when he alertly realized that a fire ignited in the demolition pit. Given the amount of explosives, he realized that there was no time to evacuate the area. Master Sergeant Cremeans, without forethought for his own safety, jumped into the demolition pit and quickly began covering the fire with dirt, extinguishing it before the entire cache of weapons exploded. He then located the fire's propellant, scooped it into a canister and continued to fight more small flash fires until they were all extinguished. His actions saved the lives of 15 Afghans and 4 American soldiers who would have been killed had he not taken those extraordinary actions. Madam Speaker, Master Sergeant Cremeans's heroic actions were brought to my attention by my constituent Army MAJ Zachary Norsworthy of St. Petersburg, Florida, who was with the unit at the time of this incident. Having personally witnessed Master Sergeant Cremeans' quick thinking and actions, Major Norsworthy nominated him for the Soldier's Award, one of the Army's highest noncombat honors for valor. Unfortunately, the award package was lost by the Army and when time had passed with no action, Major Norsworthy resubmitted the application but was told that the two-year period for submitting an award nomination had passed and it was too late to resubmit. Major Norsworthy promptly contacted me and I contacted the Secretary of the Army who reviewed the case and quickly saw that Master Sergeant Cremeans was deserving of this honor and ordered the awarding of the medal. This morning in my office, SMA Kenneth Preston officiated as we presented Master Sergeant Cremeans with this long-overdue recognition. Following my remarks, I will submit for the benefit of my colleagues the Army citation and Major Norsworthy's narrative outlining the brave actions of Master Sergeant Cremeans. Madam Speaker, Master Sergeant Cremeans represents the best our Nation has to offer. He volunteered to serve our Nation in uniform and to protect our freedom and liberty. He is now retired after 22 years of service to the United States and to the Army. Please join me in saying thank you to him for his actions and his lifetime of service. Citation To all who shall see these presents, greeting: this is to certify that the President of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress, July 2, 1926, has awarded the Soldier's Medal to (Then) Sergeant First Class Brian L. Cremeans, United States Army, for heroism on 6 May 2003 in Meynemah, Afghanistan. Given under my hand in the City of Washington on this 30th day of October 2007. Reuben D. Jones, the Adjutant General. Pete Geren, Secretary of the Army. ____ The President of the United States of America, authorized by an Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, has awarded the Soldier's Medal to Sergeant First Class Brian L. Cremeans, United States Army, for heroism: not involving actual conflict with an armed enemy on 6 May 2003, in Meynemah, Afghanistan. As enemy munitions were being placed in a demolition pit, Sergeant Cremeans saw a glimpse of smoke billow from the pit. The demolition pit was covered with approximately four inches of explosive propellant (white phosphorous) at the base that, if ignited, would detonate the 4000 pounds of high explosives rigged for demolition. Without hesitation, he immediately leapt onto the side of the twenty- foot deep pit, which caused dirt to smother the flame that had begun to build. Sergeant Cremeans' actions provided him enough time to gain control of the flame and further extinguish it. His attention to detail and situational awareness enabled him to recognize the difference between dust and smoke as the pit was being loaded with mortar and tank rounds. Sergeant Cremeans' quick reaction prevented the propellant from igniting, which would have caused the munitions to prematurely detonate, thereby saving the lives of the fifteen Afghan Nationals and four U.S. servicemen. Master Sergeant Cremeans' courage and concern for his fellow Soldiers and Afghan Nationals were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army. ____ Narrative On May 6, 2003, Sergeant First Class Brian L. Cremeans was serving as the Senior Explosive Ordnance and Demolition (EOD) Technician to destroy the largest cache ever discovered in Afghanistan. The cache amounted to over 350,000 pounds worth of High Explosives. Over 4000 pounds worth of High Explosives was loaded into one of two demolition pits by fifteen Afghans with the close supervision of a fellow EOD technician. At this point, the floor of the pit was covered ankle deep with propellant from previous demolition shots. SFC Cremeans, 1LT Patton and 1LT Norsworthy were standing on top of the pit as the Afghans and one of the EOD technicians were loading the final mortar rounds into the pit. As he was watching the pit, a billow of smoke appeared at the bottom of the 20 foot deep pit. SFC Cremeans yelled, ``Fire'' and before 1LT Patton could yell burning, SFC Cremeans had dove into the pit yelling fire. As he was sliding down to the bottom of the pit a flame erupted and he slid into it causing his body to push enough dirt into the flame to momentarily smolder it. This act gave him enough time to put more dirt onto the flames and gather up loose propellant surrounding the site of ignition, thus allowing him to gain control of the situation. He immediately gathered up the white phosphorous residue that had been unearthed and the surrounding propellant and scooped them into a canister. He stayed [[Page 10112]] there extinguishing the ambitious little flames until the threat was eliminated. All non essential personnel were loaded on the truck. He then calmly set the ring main and charges on the pit. He then finished by arming the M-60 fuse igniters on the ring main and was the last man to get into the revving truck. In summary, Sergeant First Class Brian L. Cremeans' courageous selfless act and impeccable attention to detail saved the lives of fifteen Afghans and four United States Army servicemen. SFC Cremeans courageous selfless act richly deserves the award of the Soldiers Medal. Through his courageous selfless efforts and impeccable attention to detail, Sergeant First Class Brian L. Cremeans reflected great credit upon himself, the United States Army and the Department of Defense. ____________________