[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 607]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO MAJOR STEVEN HALL AND CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER RICKY BULLINGER

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today I honor two brave Arkansas 
Guardsmen who risked their lives to rescue a citizen in need. Maumelle 
resident Major Steven Hall, a native of Rector, and Chief Warrant 
Officer Ricky Bullinger of North Crossett recently received the 
Soldier's Medal, the highest award for heroism not involving combat, 
for risking their lives to rescue a woman who was being electrocuted 
underneath a hotel dock on Lake Hamilton in Arkansas.
  On August 23, 2008, Hall and Bullinger had spent the day at a 
training workshop, later joining their families to boat on Lake 
Hamilton. Before long, they heard cries for help from two families 
nearby on the water and immediately went to their aid.
  Both Hall and Bullinger jumped into the water, quickly finding it to 
be full of electricity from a nearby streetlight. The pair spent 15 
minutes diving for a woman trapped in the water. Eventually, their 
efforts were successful as they pulled her from the lake. Not everyone 
was saved, however. A 14-year-old girl lost her life that day.
  I salute these two brave servicemen. My father and both grandfathers 
served our Nation in uniform and taught me from an early age about the 
sacrifices our troops and their families make to keep our Nation free. 
All of our service men and women from the Greatest Generation to 
Vietnam war veterans to the new generation of servicemembers in the 
Middle East and across the globe have sacrificed greatly on behalf of 
our country and local communities.
  It is the responsibility of our Nation to provide the tools necessary 
to care for our country's servicemembers and honor the commitment our 
Nation has made to them. During these tough economic times, it is even 
more important that we don't shortchange our veterans. It is the least 
we can do for those whom we owe so much.

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