[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15418-15419]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE MEMBERS OF THE ALASKA AIR NATIONAL GUARD

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I have the honor today to recognize 
three great Americans who valiantly risked their lives in the service 
of their country. SMSgt Christopher Widener, MSgt Brandon Stuemke, and 
SSgt Aaron Parcha are members of the Air National Guard from the State 
of Alaska who served as pararescuemen within the 83rd Expeditionary 
Rescue Squadron out of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. I'd like to tell 
you about some of the heroic actions taken by these men between the 
12th and 14th of November 2010.
  Senior Master Sergeant Widener, Master Sergeant Stuemke and Staff 
Sergeant Parcha are assigned to an Air National Guard unit that 
specializes in dangerous combat rescue missions. Pararescue 
specialists, or PJs, train to be inserted into the most hazardous and 
precarious situations to save lives. They learn to operate in extreme 
cold and harsh terrain. They train on some of the most cutting edge 
equipment and master complicated medical procedures. If that isn't 
enough, they prepare to do this job in the face of an enemy that, when 
they are plunged into the heart of a battle, can appear from any 
direction.
  Their mission in the Pech River Valley of Afghanistan was to provide 
medical support to a United States Army task force. The operation was 
entitled Operation Bulldog Bite and was aimed at uprooting a determined 
and well-equipped enemy in the Kunar Province in the northeastern 
region of Afghanistan. After the battle began and the Army unit 
sustained casualties, the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron

[[Page 15419]]

was sent into action to help extract the wounded and dead. Each of the 
airmen was tasked to travel by helicopter and to be inserted by hoist 
to evacuate casualties. Accompanying the dangerous task of insertion 
from a helicopter came the barrage of enemy gunfire directed toward the 
PJs. Even before they touched the ground, the PJs were targeted with a 
hail of bullets. Each of these men cast away their personal safety and 
pressed on with their mission. The skilled airmen arrived at the 
location of the wounded troops and began to triage and treat the 
casualties. They spent several hours tirelessly preparing the severely 
wounded for evacuation and hoisting each up to a lifesaving helicopter 
transport hovering above. After evacuating the wounded, the 
pararescuemen continued their efforts by evacuating fallen warriors 
from the U.S. Army unit while still receiving enemy gunfire. To ensure 
success, Master Sergeant Stuemke even returned fire on an enemy 
position. Senior Master Sergeant Widener showed courage by shielding 
the casualty on his final hoist with his own body.
  In all Senior Master Sergeant Widener, Master Sergeant Stuemke, and 
Staff Sergeant Parcha contributed to saving over 2 dozen American lives 
and ensure the return of several bodies of fallen comrades to their 
families. Their efforts ensured the United States Army unit supported 
could complete its mission, an operation that secured large stores of 
enemy weapons and munitions and significantly disrupted insurgent 
activity against coalition forces in eastern Afghanistan.
  These men have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for their 
actions. The award is the 4th highest decoration a member of our 
military can receive. I wish to thank these great men for their 
selfless service and dedication to our nation. They are all my heroes.

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