Recognizing the Heroic Actions of Mr. Danny Wells of Peculiar, Mo

Floor Speech

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Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a heroic resident of Missouri's Fourth Congressional District, Mr. Danny Wells.

Mr. Wells is a team leader for the public works department in the city of Peculiar. Earlier this year, middle Missouri was in the grips of a historic cold front with temperatures well below freezing and wind chills regularly hovering in the single digits.

On January 24th, with the temperature in the twenties, Danny was driving down State Highway YY. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a young child in a ditch--barely clothed and shivering in the cold. Mr. Wells jumped into action. After searching for any adults nearby, he pulled over and literally gave the boy the coat off his back and the hat off his head. Danny then put the boy in the truck, cranked up the heat, and began rubbing his feet to warm them.

Danny immediately radioed the proper authorities to get this boy the medical care he desperately needed. With temperatures so low, the risk of catastrophe was imminent. Peculiar Police Chief Don Shepard, who was on the scene, said the boy ``was near hypothermic and might well have died had Danny not found him.''

Danny is an Army Veteran and having served in Iraq and Afghanistan, he is no stranger to perilous situations. And this specific situation was personal to him. ``I've got grandkids about the same age, so it just hit pretty close to home. Serving the public is what we're here for; it is what we do. I hope anybody in that situation would have done the same thing,'' Mr. Wells said.

On behalf of the Fourth District, we thank Mr. Wells for his service to our Nation and the community of Peculiar. His actions make clear he has a servant's heart and takes his work seriously. We applaud his heroic actions to prevent a disaster on that January afternoon.

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