Haley Stevens: “it gives me great pride to salute three brave young airmen stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. SSGt Bryan…”

“it gives me great pride to salute three brave young airmen stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. SSGt Bryan Fletcher, SrA Elicia Greer, and SrA John Rogers displayed remarkable heroism--and saved a life--on the evening of June 16, 2007. The three airmen were riding recreational vehicles near Jet Ski Lake in Fairbanks when they heard a woman scream. They immediately stopped to help, and saw an unconscious man about to drown in the lake. Staff Sergeant Fletcher dove into the water first, followed by Senior Airman Greer. They proceeded to pull the man out and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Senior Airman Rogers, who was riding a distance away, soon arrived to help in this effort. Airmen Fletcher, Greer, and Rogers spent several minutes administering CPR to Joseph Mead before they registered any response. All three took turns performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and compressing Mead's heart. They continued CPR until the University of Alaska Fire Department arrived to take over. Mead was safely revived, taken to the hospital, and released the next day with no lasting injuries. The lakeside rescue is not the first time these individuals have displayed tremendous heroism--each has also served in Iraq with distinction. As veterans of U.S. Army combat convoy duty, they were tasked with dangerous and difficult work in the most demanding of circumstances.”