[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 89 (Tuesday, July 12, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   McCALL SMOKE JUMPERS: IDAHO HEROES

  (Mr. LaROCCO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. LaROCCO. Mr. Speaker, as a resident of McCall, ID, the homebase 
of two of the smokejumpers killed last week in the Storm King Mountain 
fire, I join in mourning their loss. Fourteen brave souls died in the 
inferno above Glenwood, CO, including my good friend, Jim Thrash, and 
his colleague Roger Roth.
  The McCall smokejumpers have bravely carried out their special 
mission since 1939. Each summer, they parachute over fires in the 
rugged backcountry, extinguish them quickly, and return to their base. 
These topnotch professionals protect both the public lands and private 
property, along with the wildlife.
  Smokejumpers from McCall respond to fires throughout the United 
States. They make about 600 jumps on some 160 fires each year. Jim 
Thrash had been a Forest Service smokejumper for 14 summers with 213 
career jumps. He also served as the president of Idaho Outfitters and 
Guides Association. Roger, originally from Michigan, also loved Idaho's 
backcounty, especially hunting and fishing.
  Although I cannot begin to speak to the grief of the families, my 
thoughts and prayers are with Jim's wife, Holly Thrash, and their 
children, Ginny and Nathan, and with Roger's parents, Walter and Carol 
Roth.
  Jim and Roger will be remembered as heroes and friends to many in 
Idaho, especially to those of us who live in McCall. We will miss them.

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