[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7354]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         VIRGINIA TASK FORCE 1

  (Mrs. COMSTOCK asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to thank the brave men and 
women of Virginia Task Force 1, a domestic and international disaster 
response resource sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue 
Department.
  I was honored to welcome these miracle workers home this past 
Saturday morning after their 3-week deployment to Nepal.
  Virginia Task Force 1, in partnership with USAID, is always at the 
ready to answer the call when tragedy or natural disaster strikes, 
either at home or abroad. Nepal was devastated by two major 
earthquakes, resulting in the loss of over 8,500 lives, and Virginia 
Task Force 1 was there to help.
  With their incredible skill and teamwork, they were able to rescue a 
15-year-old boy trapped in the rubble for 5 days. When the second 
earthquake hit, they saved a 41-year-old woman who was trapped in a 
four-story building. They also medically treated countless others.
  When they returned home on Saturday morning, they were 
enthusiastically greeted by their relatives and families. Those 
families also endure countless hours of worry while their family 
members and loved ones are halfway around the world in unfamiliar and 
dangerous circumstances.
  Mr. Speaker, the Members of Virginia Task Force 1 are truly fabulous 
and wonderful ambassadors for the Commonwealth of Virginia and our 
country, and it is an honor and a privilege to thank them for their 
courageous service to the people of Nepal and to the work they do every 
day in our country.

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