[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2545-2546]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    CRASH OF USCG MH 65C HELICOPTER

  (Mr. BONNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I bring to the 
attention of the House the news that a

[[Page 2546]]

United States Coast Guard helicopter crashed last night in Mobile Bay 
during a training mission.
  Early this morning I spoke by phone to Coast Guard Sector Commander 
Captain Don Rose in Mobile, where he informed me that one crew member 
had lost his life, and three others are missing. Search efforts for the 
missing crew have been under way through last night and today, and they 
are ongoing at this time near the crash site off Point Clear, Alabama.
  Naturally, I offered to Captain Rose the praise and heartfelt 
sympathies of the Congress, as well as our entire Nation, not only to 
those immediate families of those brave Coasties, but to the entire 
Coast Guard family.
  Whether during a hurricane, an oil spill, or one of their daily 
encounters with danger when conducting a search and rescue mission, the 
United States Coast Guard plays a vital role that we too often take for 
granted.
  It is at times like this when we are reminded of the dangers they 
face in their service to our Nation. They are truly on the first line 
of protecting our country, and we can never thank them enough.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask, at this time, that all Americans lift a prayer to 
the Good Lord for the loss of life that has occurred. May God's 
blessings and healing hand be on those left behind.

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