26574 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS October 21, 1999 Included in this group are the good people HONORING THE 200TH BIRTHDAY country skiing and bicycling. He built a strong of Hotchkiss, Colorado. During this long and at OF SMITH COUNTY physique, great endurance, keen perceptions times difficult process, Hotchkiss’ civic leaders and the quick reflexes which were to serve have given tirelessly and beyond measure in HON. BART GORDON him, and others, so well in the rugged life ahead. the hopes of making the Black Canyon a na- OF TENNESSEE Bernt Balchen’s eyes turned skyward. He tional park. Again and again these great IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES entered the Royal Norwegian Naval Air Force, Americans rose to the challenge, doing every- Thursday, October 21, 1999 graduating at the head of his class and receiv- thing in their power to fulfill this dream. With- Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ing his wings in 1921. He became an instruc- out Hotchkiss’ leadership and perseverance, recognize the 200th birthday of Smith County, tor in navigation and participated in the plan- none of what we have accomplished would Tennessee, one of the most scenic and friend- ning of some of the first Arctic serial expedi- have ever been possible. ly communities you’ll ever come across. tions from Norway. While working on prepara- It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I give my Smith County, the fifth county created in tions for Amundsen’s first flight across the thanks to the people of Hotchkiss who played Middle Tennessee, was established by Private North Pole in the dirigible Norge based at a leading role in making the Black Canyon of Act in October of 1799 and was named in Spitsbergen, Balchen was directed by Amund- sen to assist Commander Richard E. Byrd in the Gunnison National Park a wonderful reality honor of Daniel Smith, a Revolutionary War equipping his plane with skis of Balchen’s de- for Colorado, America, and the world to enjoy. officer, surveyor and U.S. Senator. Nestled among the gently rolling hills and sign. This plane was to be flown by Floyd RECOGNIZING THE ST. JOSEPH, the pristine fish-filled streams that meander Bennett, with Byrd as a navigator, in an at- MISSOURI POLICE DEPARTMENT through Middle Tennessee, the county is tempt to reach the North Pole. home to some truly wonderful folks, including Impressed with Balchen’s many skills, Com- mander Richard Byrd asked that Balchen be Vice President AL GORE. The vice president’s HON. PAT DANNER late father, Al Gore Sr., also called Smith given leave from the Norwegian Naval Air County home and proudly represented the Force and join his party on its return to the OF MISSOURI county and region in the U.S. House of Rep- U.S. Balchen then became chief test pilot for the famous aircraft designer, Tony Fokker, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES resentatives and the U.S. Senate, as did an- joining the Fokker Aircraft Corporation at other famous resident, Cordell Hull, who also Teterboro, New Jersey. In 1927, Balchen was Thursday, October 21, 1999 served the nation as Secretary of State. assigned to Western Canada Airways at Hud- I congratulate the county’s residents for their Ms. DANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to son, Ontario, to teach Canadian pilots how to invaluable contributions to the state of Ten- honor seven law enforcement officers from the handle ski-equipped planes—the beginning of nessee and the nation as a whole. Happy ‘‘bush flying’’—then to transport men, equip- St. Joseph, Missouri Police Department who Birthday Smith County and thanks to its resi- ment and supplies from Cache Lake, Mani- are being recognized with the National Asso- dents for letting me serve them in the U.S. toba, the northern terminus of the Hudson Bay ciation of Police Organization’s prestigious House of Representatives. railway, to Fort Churchill, Manitoba, within a TOP COPS Awards. These brave individuals f are receiving these distinguished awards for prescribed period of time. As one of the two their valiant efforts in protecting their commu- A TRIBUTE TO BERNT BALCHEN pilots selected for the job, he flew an open cockpit plane during six weeks of savage nity from an armed killer on November 10, weather, with temperatures hitting 65 degrees 1998. HON. MARTIN OLAV SABO below zero. In paying tribute to the importance On that date, Sergeants Terry White, Steve OF MINNESOTA of this operation, which was an important fac- Gumm and Billy Paul Miller, Patrolwoman Re- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES tor in changing the economy of Canada, the becca Caton, and Patrolmen Roy Wedlow, Thursday, October 21, 1999 government of Canada stated, ‘‘There has Henry Pena, Shawn Hamre and Bradley Arn, Mr. SABO. Mr. Speaker, October 23, 1999 been no more brilliant operation in the history responded to a high-priority call to subdue an marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the of commercial aviation.’’ After the crash-landing of the plane America armed sniper who was randomly firing at vehi- late great Norwegian-American pilot, military on a test flight in which the pilot Floyd Bennett cles attempting to cross a busy local intersec- leader, and Arctic and Antarctic explorer, was badly injured, Balchen became involved tion. The assailant fired approximately 200 Colonel Bernt Balchen. in preparations for Byrd’s Trans-Atlantic flight rounds of bullets from his assault weapon, fa- Bernt Balchen was born in Tveit, Norway, in 1927. He was chosen to be a co-pilot, along on October 23, 1899, the son of a physician tally wounding Officer Arn, before being shot with Bert Acosta. As harsh weather conditions with an ancestry of military leaders and sea and killed by sergeant Miller. Thanks to the developed on that flight, Balchen took over the captains. His love of nature and wildlife, his quick response and undaunted courage of piloting of the plane for 40 hours, and finally artistic talents, and his sensitive, discerning these brave officers, no innocent bystander saved the lives of all aboard by making an lost their life as a result of this tragedy. eye were revealed in his sketch books begun emergency landing off the coast of France. at an early age. In addition, I wish to pay a special tribute to Balchen subsequently became the third per- His love of outdoor life and sports was cou- son to successfully fly across the Atlantic the family of Officer Arn. Survived by his lov- pled with a keen spirit of adventure and dis- ing wife Andrea and two-year-old twin daugh- Ocean. covery which was kindled when he met the In 1928, Balchen piloted one of the relief ters Molleigh and Mallorie, Officer Arn will be great explorer Roald Amundsen, shortly after planes flying to the crash site of the German forever remembered in the hearts of the resi- his successful expedition to the South Pole in aircraft Bremen on Greenly Island, off Lab- dents of St. Joseph for making the greatest 1913. This meeting fired young Balchen’s rador. The next year he piloted now-Admiral sacrifices while protecting the community. He imagination and determination to explore the Byrd across the South Pole in the Floyd Ben- was truly one of America’s finest, and I am mysteries of the Polar regions. nett— the first flight over the South Pole. In honored to offer this tribute to him—as well as After completing his education in Forestry addition to his work as pilot for the Byrd Ant- his family—today. Engineering at Harnosand, Sweden, inter- arctic Expedition I, Balchen played a major spersed with practical work in Norway’s lum- Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the heroic role in designing equipment and working out ber camps, Bernt Balchen underwent training problems in logistics, constructing snow hang- acts of these brave law enforcement officers in the Norwegian Army. At 18, he volunteered have not gone unnoticed, and I rise today to ars and other equipment. The following year, for service with the White Army in Finland, back in the U.S., he instructed Amelia Earhart express my appreciation to them for their dedi- serving first in ski patrols and then in the cav- and redesigned her aircraft for her successful cation in protecting the St. Joseph community. alry. A Russian bayonet almost cost him his flight across the Atlantic. Each of these officers exemplify the finest of life. He confounded doctors who predicted he In 1931, through a special act of Congress, traits one must possess to be a member of would be permanently incapacitated by later Colonel Balchen became a U.S. citizen. the law enforcement community, and I con- becoming a member of Norway’s Olympic Balchen served as chief pilot for the Lincoln gratulate them on receiving these awards. boxing team, then setting records in cross- Ellsworth Trans-Antarctic Expeditions (1933– VerDate May 21 2004 11:01 Jun 19, 2004 Jkt 039102 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 9920 E:\BR99\E21OC9.000 E21OC9.