[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24514]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING STAFF SERGEANT ZACHARY J. RHYNER, USO AIRMAN OF THE YEAR

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                           HON. BOB ETHERIDGE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 7, 2009

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Staff Sergeant 
Zachary J. Rhyner's distinguished service in the United States Air 
Force, and to congratulate him on being named USO Airman of the Year. 
Staff Sergeant Rhyner's extraordinary heroism in Shok Valley, 
Afghanistan on April 6, 2008 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom is a 
testament to his training, character, and personal strength.
  While conducting an air assault infiltration as Special Tactics 
Combat Controller, Sergeant Rhyner and his team were caught in an 
ambush. Intense sniper, machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire 
rained down on the team from a well-trained insurgent force. Sergeant 
Rhyner was shot once in his left leg and struck twice in his chest. 
Although wounded, Sergeant Rhyner stayed calm and called in more than 
50 air strikes and strafing gun runs. He placed himself between enemy 
forces and his men several times in order to return fire and to allow 
his teammates to retrieve the critically wounded and the deceased. He 
has been recognized for his heroism several times. In addition to being 
named USO Airman of the Year today, he received the Air Force Cross, 
the service's second highest medal for valor, on March 10, 2009. He 
also received a Purple Heart and the Jewish Institute for National 
Security Affairs Grateful Nation Award.
  Staff Sergeant Rhyner is based at Pope Air Force Base, in North 
Carolina's Second District and lives in Harnett County, my home county. 
I am proud to have him as a fellow North Carolinian, and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in congratulating him on this honor and saluting 
his service.

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