Named for Lenny Skutnik, the savior of a drowning jetliner passenger whose aircraft crashed into the Potomac River in 1982, these (mostly) heroic folks have been mainstays of the annual State of the Union address since Ronald Reagan started the tradition with Skutnik three decades ago.
31 Years of Skutniks: A Brief History of Special Guests at the State of the Union Address
AP
Lenny Skutnik, who jumped into the Potomac River to save one of the passengers aboard an Air Florida jetliner that had crashed there on January 13, 1982, receives applause during Ronald Reagan's State of the Union address on Jan. 27, 1982.
