A resolution honoring the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard whose tireless work, dedication, and selfless service to the United States have led to more than 1 million lives saved over the course of its long and storied 217-year history.

Mr. President, I have come to the floor to speak to the Senate about the heroic actions of PO Willard Milam, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer who serves our Nation in Kodiak, AK.

I hope many Senators have seen the film ``The Guardian.'' Really, I do believe it was Willard Milam who inspired the preparation of that movie, and I want to tell the Senate about his actions.

Shortly after midnight on February 10, 2007, the U.S. Coast Guard Rescue

Coordination Center in Juneau, AK, received an emergency beacon from a fishing vessel. The vessel was the Illusion.

Like so many of our brave Coast Guard men and women, Petty Officer Milam and his crew of four launched in a Coast Guard rescue helicopter to investigate the source of the distress signal they had received, undaunted by a howling 50-mile-an-hour wind and heavy rain and near zero visibility.

When the aircrew arrived on the scene, they realized that the crew of the fishing vessel had abandoned their ship and climbed into a life raft, which was being tossed, at that time, in the treacherous Bering Sea. Petty Officer Milam readied himself to be hoisted down into the 40-degree temperature seas below.

As soon as Petty Officer Milam entered the water, he swam to the life raft and found four survivors. They were hypothermic and in shock and unprotected from the elements. They did not have any survival equipment on. One by one, Petty Officer Milam pulled the survivors out of the life raft and took them and swam with them over to a rescue basket that had been lowered through the darkness from the helicopter that was hovering above them.

After loading the first two survivors into the rescue basket, Petty Officer Milam could begin to feel the frigid water flowing into his own suit. He told me it had, unfortunately, hung up on the edge of the life raft and partially unzipped and that water was filling into his survival suit. But he had to fight the debilitating effects of the cold and struggle against exhaustion in order to continue to swim the third survivor from the life raft to the rescue basket.

While the third survivor was being lifted toward the spotlights of the rescue helicopter, Petty Officer Milam--his legs now numb with cold--realized that the life raft, with one survivor still onboard, had drifted too far for him to reach under its current condition. So he signaled for an emergency pickup, and he was hoisted back into the helicopter.

Once inside the helicopter, he became aware of the fact that the crew had only enough fuel to remain on the scene for 15 minutes more. But Petty Officer Milam courageously asked to be lowered back into the sea, now over the top of this survivor, to try and save that last remaining survivor.

Upon entering the water, Petty Officer Milam pulled the last survivor, who was now very combative because of the fear of the circumstances--he was nearly drowning--he was forced to drag this person from the life raft through the storm back into this rescue basket.

With the last survivor in the rescue helicopter, Petty Officer Milam drifted into a stage of unconsciousness as the aircrew lowered the rescue basket directly back to him. He was still in the water. Miraculously, Petty Officer Milam was able to climb inside that basket and was hoisted to safety.

He told me personally that the next time he awoke he was in the clinic at Dutch Harbor, AK, wrapped in blankets and surrounded by heat lamps. As a matter of fact, he told me he was in bed for a period of hours, and they told him his boat was leaving, so he just got himself up and went back to the dock and went onboard the boat. This man is one of the most courageous men I have ever met in my life.

When we consider the Coast Guard as the guardian of our last frontier, I am proud to tell the Senate that fellow Alaskans recognize him as a man who has dedicated his life to public service. Petty Officer Milam's heroic actions personify the selfless public service representative of U.S. Coast Guard men and women who are stationed around the globe and represent us so well.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, is it in order for me to make a comment as in morning business at this time?

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I ask unanimous consent we now proceed to S. Res. 433.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that morning business be extended for 90 minutes, with the time equally divided.

I note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.