The Secretary of Defense, William J. Perry, issued the following statement
early this morning from Brussels, Belgium:
"As announced earlier by Admiral Leighton Smith, the AFSOUTH Commander, last
night at approximately two o'clock in the morning [8 p.m. EDT, June 7], we were
able to establish voice contact with Captain Scott F. O'Grady, the pilot of the
downed F-16.
"After a positive identification and establishment of his exact location,
Admiral Smith ordered a rescue operation consisting of CH-53 Sea Stallion and
AH-1 Cobra helicopters off the USS Kearsarge and fixed wing fighter and support
aircraft. Captain O'Grady is now safely on board the USS Kearsarge.
"I would like to express my deep thanks to all who participated in this
successful rescue operation and my happiness and relief to Captain O'Grady's
parents who just a few minutes ago were notified by President Clinton."
