[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6539]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DAVID JENSEN

 Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Mr. David 
Jensen, a native of Lemmon, SD, for being awarded the Office of the 
Secretary of the Department of Defense Medal for Valor. The Medal for 
Valor is the highest civilian award for valor, and David received this 
honor for his actions while deployed in Afghanistan on September 10, 
2012. He was recognized for his bravery in an awards ceremony at the 
Pentagon's Hall of Heroes on April 14, 2014.
  David served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and the U.S. Army Special 
Operations Command before he was honorably discharged. He is now a 
special operations task force advisor at Fort Bragg, NC, working for 
the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization.
  David has also worked as a contractor for Wexford Group Inc., serving 
with the U.S. Army Asymmetric Warfare Group. In 2012, David was 
deployed to Afghanistan as an operational adviser for the Asymmetric 
Warfare Group alongside Company C, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute 
Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. On September 10, 2012, David 
and Company C were set to fly out of Bagram Airfield with Afghan 
National Security Forces to conduct a partnered air assault operation 
in Parwan Province. During preflight operations, however, one of the 
CH-47 Chinook helicopters was struck by an enemy rocket, igniting the 
fuel tanks of the aircraft. Despite the high risk of danger and 
personal harm, David immediately began evacuating wounded soldiers from 
the burning aircraft, making several trips before the flames overcame 
the entire aircraft. After evacuating four wounded soldiers from the 
wreckage, David promptly began administering medical attention to the 
injured. A humble man, David has said that he merely reacted, doing 
what needed to be done.
  David Jensen is most deserving of the Medal for Valor for his 
exemplary bravery in the face of danger and putting the concerns of 
others before his own. His selfless acts saved the lives of his 
colleagues, and our Nation will always be grateful for his dedicated 
service. As thankful citizens, we must never take for granted the 
courage of heroes like David who selflessly answer the call to 
duty.

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