Martin Leonard Skutnik III (born 1953 in Mississippi, known as Lenny)
[Shereikis, Richard, "Heroes Don't Need Zip Codes: Lenny Skutnik - Accidental Hero", in ''The Hero in Transition'' (Ray B. Browne, Marshall W. Fishwick, editors). Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1983 (), pp. 107-114.] is a retired employee of the United States
Congressional Budget Office
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the United States Congress, legislative branch of the United States government that provides budget and economic information to Congress.
Ins ...
who, on January 13, 1982, saved the life of Priscilla Tirado following the crash of
Air Florida Flight 90
Air Florida Flight 90 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight operated by Air Florida from Washington National Airport (now Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport) to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, with an interme ...
into the frozen
Potomac River
The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...
,
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
As passengers were being rescued, Tirado was too weak to take hold of the line dropped from a helicopter. Skutnik—one of hundreds of bystanders—dove into the icy water and brought her to the river bank.
U.S. President Ronald Reagan invited Skutnik to attend the
1982 State of the Union address on January 26, 1982, where he sat next to
First Lady Nancy Reagan; Reagan praised Skutnik as manifesting "the spirit of American heroism at its finest".
Since then, others invited to sit in the Presidential gallery and honored in the president's speech have often been called ''
Lenny Skutniks''.
Skutnik received the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...
's
Gold Lifesaving Medal
The Gold Lifesaving Medal and Silver Lifesaving Medal are U.S. decorations issued by the United States Coast Guard. The awards were established by Act of Congress, 20 June 1874; later authorized by . These decorations are two of the oldest med ...
, the
Carnegie Hero Fund
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, also known as Carnegie Hero Fund, was established to recognize persons who perform extraordinary acts of heroism in civilian life in the United States and Canada, and to provide financial assistance for those ...
Medal, and various other tributes.
In 2010 he retired from his position as a printing and distribution assistant for the Congressional Budget Office.
[ John M. Spratt, Jr., ''Recognizing Martin Leonard Skutnik'', ]
See also
*
List of Lenny Skutniks
*
Arland D. Williams Jr.
References
External links
1982 State of the Union speech"The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2009 to 2019". Congress of the United States: Congressional Budget Office, January 2009.Video of every American named in a State of the Union, 1982-2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skutnik, Lenny
1953 births
History of Washington, D.C.
Living people
American civil servants
People from Mississippi
Recipients of the Gold Lifesaving Medal
Ronald Reagan