[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1283 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1283
Expressing heartfelt sympathy for the victims and their families
following the tornado that hit Little Sioux, Iowa, on June 11, 2008.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 18, 2008
Mr. Terry (for himself, Mr. Latham, Mr. King of Iowa, Ms. McCollum of
Minnesota, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Fortuno, Mr. Barton of Texas, Ms. Foxx,
Mr. Boswell, Mr. Wilson of Ohio, Mr. Walden of Oregon, Mr. Burton of
Indiana, Mr. Fortenberry, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Walz of Minnesota, Ms.
Hirono, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Culberson, Mr. Saxton, Mr.
Sessions, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, Mr. Souder, Mrs. Miller of
Michigan, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Pickering, Mr. Upton, Mr. Shays, Mrs. Bono
Mack, Mr. Pence, Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Conaway, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Young
of Alaska, Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of California, Mr. Shimkus, Mr.
Bonner, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mrs. Cubin, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr.
Manzullo, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mrs. Capito, Ms. Pryce of Ohio, Mr. McKeon,
Mr. Patrick J. Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. Coble, Mr. Nunes, Mr.
Turner, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Petri, Mr. Keller of Florida, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr.
Smith of Nebraska, Mr. McHugh, Mr. Duncan, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Dent,
Mr. Johnson of Illinois, Mr. Burgess, Mr. Marchant, Mr. Reichert, Mr.
Pitts, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Gary G. Miller of California, Mr. Porter, and
Mr. Shuler) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing heartfelt sympathy for the victims and their families
following the tornado that hit Little Sioux, Iowa, on June 11, 2008.
Whereas the Boy Scouts attending the Little Sioux Scout Ranch for the annual
Pohuk Pride Junior Leadership training course suffered through a
horrific tornado;
Whereas, on June 11, 2008, the tornado hit the Little Sioux Boy Scout Ranch near
Little Sioux, Iowa, at 6:35 p.m., killing 4 youths and injuring 43 other
people at the camp;
Whereas Little Sioux Boy Scout Ranch, which spans 1,800 acres, is located in the
Loess Hills in western Iowa, close to the border with Nebraska, about 40
miles north of Omaha;
Whereas the tornado caused a giant rock chimney to collapse in the bunkhouse
where the Boy Scouts were seeking shelter;
Whereas the devastation of the tornado resulted in the deaths of Sam Thomsen,
Josh Fennen, Ben Petrzilka, and Aaron Eilerts;
Whereas Sam Thomsen of Omaha, Nebraska, was 13 years old and the son of Sharon
and Larry Thomsen;
Whereas Sharon Thomsen referred to Sam as the family's ``miracle'' baby, as he
was born more than 3 months premature, but luckily had no lasting health
problems;
Whereas Sam Thomsen, who loved camping, Jesus, football, and the Nebraska
Cornhuskers, as a member of Troop 26 and wanted to eventually become an
Eagle Scout;
Whereas Sam was about to turn 14 years old on June 16, 2008, and he had asked
his parents for tickets to the College World Series as his birthday
present;
Whereas Josh Fennen of Omaha, Nebraska, was 13 years old, had just finished the
8th grade, and was the son of Charles and Dorothy Fennen;
Whereas Josh Fennen, a member of Troop 331, was confident and inquisitive, with
natural leadership abilities;
Whereas according to Josh Fennen's middle school principal, Josh was a ``good
student, a hard worker, and he was always trying to be creative'';
Whereas Ben Petrzilka of Omaha, Nebraska, was 13 years old and the son of Bryan
and Arnell Petrzilka;
Whereas Ben Petrzilka had just finished 7th grade at Mary Our Queen Catholic
School and often spent time fishing and hunting with his father;
Whereas Ben Petrzilka had been a member of Troop 448 for 3 years and had reached
First Class rank, 3 steps below Eagle, and was assistant leader of the
Ninja Patrol of Troop 448;
Whereas Aaron Eilerts of Eagle Groove, Iowa, was 14 years old and a member of
Boy Scout Troop 108;
Whereas Aaron Eilerts was always doing things for others, whether it was
creating brightly colored pillowcases for patients at local hospitals,
making fleece blankets for dogs at the Humane Society, or making table
centerpieces for the senior citizen dining center in Eagle Grove;
Whereas Aaron Eilerts, an aspiring chef with an obsession with Elvis, was very
involved in his community, as he often performed ``The Star Spangled
Banner'' at local sporting events, participated in football, ran cross
country, and was involved in both band and choir;
Whereas Sam Thomsen, Josh Fennen, Ben Petrzilka and Aaron Eilerts all lived by
the Scout Oath, ``On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God
and my country and obey the Scout law, to help other people at all
times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally
straight'';
Whereas all the Boy Scouts exhibited extraordinary leadership by executing
techniques they had recently been taught in a mock emergency drill just
a day before the tornado hit;
Whereas the Boy Scouts removed stones that had fallen onto fellow Scouts, tied
tourniquets around the limbs of the wounded, helped pull the injured out
of the rubble, carried the injured on stretchers, and kept their
composure in the face of disaster;
Whereas the 43 injured people were taken to 5 hospitals: Creighton University
Medical Center in Omaha; Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa;
Burgess Health Center in Onawa, Iowa; Community Memorial Hospital in
Missouri Valley, Iowa; and Memorial Community Hospital in Blair,
Nebraska;
Whereas the majority of those injured and sent to area hospitals received
treatment and were released;
Whereas first responders and officers of the Little Sioux Volunteer Fire
Department, Monona Country Emergency Management, Decatur Volunteer Fire
Department, Fort Calhoun Volunteer Fire Department, Monona County
Sheriff's Department, Harrison County Sheriff's Department, Iowa State
Patrol, Iowa National Guard, Red Cross, and Mercy Air Care arrived at
the Little Sioux Boy Scout Ranch within 10 minutes and walked through
the rain on a muddy road to reach the campers, as fallen trees in the
heavily timbered park blocked their vehicles;
Whereas, on June 12, 2008, Iowa Governor Chet Culver and Nebraska Governor Dave
Heineman met with families of the victims, expressed their condolences,
and thanked those who helped during the disaster;
Whereas Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff toured the
camp on June 12, 2008, and said it appeared that the Boy Scouts ``didn't
have a chance'' and that the tornado came through the camp ``like a
bowling ball''; and
Whereas the Boy Scout community will grieve the loss and celebrate the lives of
those who died in this horrific natural disaster for months and years to
come: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) expresses its heartfelt sympathy for the victims and
their families of the tornado in Little Sioux, Iowa, on June
11, 2008; and
(2) conveys its gratitude to the city and county officials,
police, fire department, sheriff, volunteer, and emergency
medical teams who responded swiftly to the scene to treat the
wounded.
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