[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 135 (Thursday, October 2, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1928]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE TO HAMPTON BAYS VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER THOMAS E. WILSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 2, 1997

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this venerable Chamber to 
ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in 
paying tribute to Thomas E. Wilson, a volunteer fireman who has devoted 
50 years of exemplary service to protecting the lives and property of 
his family, friends, and neighbors in Hampton Bays, Long Island.
  On Saturday, October 4, 1997, Thomas Wilson will be honored by the 
commissioners, chiefs, officers, and fellow firefighters for his 50 
faithful years of service to the Hampton Bays Fire Department. Since 
1947, whenever fire or other peril threatened the Hampton Bays 
community, Thomas answered the call, whether it came in the dead of 
night, on a blustery winter day, or in the wilting heat of summer. Time 
and again, Thomas joined his comrades as they hastened to the scene, 
placing themselves in harm's way to aid another human being in danger, 
regardless of whether it be a friend, neighbor, or stranger.
  While the Hampton Bays Fire Department has been truly blessed with 
many dedicated volunteers, Thomas Wilson has demonstrated an 
exceptional level of commitment to his community. In his 50 years as a 
Hampton Bays Firefighter, Thomas has earned the trust and respect of 
his peers, who have chosen him for numerous leadership positions, 
including lieutenant and captain.
  The residents of Hampton Bays demonstrated that same trust and 
respect for Thomas Wilson. For 20 consecutive years, the voters in 
Hampton Bays elected Thomas to the position of fire commissioner, where 
he served from 1957 to 1976. He is still active today, answering the 
emergency siren when duty calls and serving as the unofficial historian 
of the Hampton Bays Fire Department.
  Demonstrating that true heroes are created over a lifetime of 
selfless acts and service to their God, family, and country, Thomas 
Wilson is the perfect role model for every volunteer firefighter who 
will come after him. So I ask my colleagues in this esteemed House to 
join me in congratulating Thomas for 50 years of service to the Hampton 
Bays Fire Department.

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