[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 101 (Thursday, June 21, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8222-S8223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 TRAGEDY IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise briefly to speak for a few moments 
about the horrible tragedy we witnessed Tuesday morning in Charleston, 
SC: the death of nine firefighters: Captain Wiliam ``Billy'' 
Hutchinson, Captain Mike Benke, Captain Louis Mulkey, Engineer Mark 
Kelsey, Engineer Bradford ``Billy'' Baity, Assistant Engineer Michael 
French, Firefighter James ``Earl'' Drayton, Firefighter Brendon 
Thompson, and Firefighter Melvin Champaign.
  Clearly, this loss is one of profound sadness for the Charleston 
community and, indeed, for the entire Nation. My thoughts and prayers 
go out to these firefighters' loved ones, families, friends, and 
colleagues.
  These nine brave men died while fighting a horrific multialarm fire 
in which two people were ultimately

[[Page S8223]]

saved. In other words, they selflessly gave their lives while ensuring 
the safety and well-being of others. This is the ultimate sacrifice of 
a firefighter--a sacrifice that has been made by 3,148 men and women 
since 1981.
  We must never forget the dangers firefighters across our Nation 
dauntlessly face each and every day--dangers that have their roots in 
nature or mankind. Whether responding to fires, natural disasters, or 
acts of terrorism, our firefighters risk and give their lives 
extinguishing fires, delivering lifesaving emergency medical services, 
conducting search and rescue missions, and responding to and handling 
hazardous biological and radiological agents. Our Nation's firefighters 
certainly do not perform these duties for any self-glorification. They 
perform these duties because each and every one of them answers a noble 
call to serve this country and protect its people from harm.
  Woodrow Wilson once wrote that ``. . . loyalty means nothing unless 
it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice.'' 
Clearly, the loyalty of these nine firefighters--loyalty to duty, 
country, and each other--were tragically demonstrated overnight Monday. 
May we mourn them and draw inspiration from their actions. May we never 
forget them.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, tomorrow in Charleston will be a citywide 
day of mourning for the nine firefighters who died, rushing into the 
blazing furniture store to try to save a life. I rise to pay my 
respects to those fallen heroes and to their families.
  The other day, when I heard the fire chief, Rusty Thomas, say he lost 
nine of his best friends, I know what he meant. So does every Senator 
in this Chamber because firefighters are the best things our 
communities have.
  They risk their lives every day we lay a heavy, heavy responsibility 
on them. But think of how many countless lives are saved because of 
their dedication, because they will find the people trapped inside a 
burning building.
  I remember when our former colleague from Charleston, Senator 
Hollings, had the terrible fire that burned his home, it was those same 
South Carolina firefighters who came to help one of our own.
  Whether they are in Charleston or the volunteers in Claymont, DE, 
where I come from, when they are done putting out a blaze, you can find 
them organizing the little league teams or grating the baseball 
diamonds or taking care of the boy and girl scouts. They are the grit 
that makes this country great.
  What happened in South Carolina reminds all of us just how important 
firefighters are to our communities, how brave these people are, and 
how dangerous their work is.
  We saw it during Hurricane Katrina, when 1,000 firefighters who 
themselves lost their homes and their cars, whose whole lives were 
turned upside down, spent day after day rescuing people from rooftops.
  We saw it on September 11, when that grizzled fireman came out of the 
debris of human flesh and cement and steel to become the face around 
the world of America's determination.
  Three hundred forty-three firemen were lost on that terrible day. And 
the tragedy in Charleston is the single greatest loss of firefighters 
in the nation since then.
  Just as the spirit of those firefighters on September 11 helped lift 
America off our knees, I hope that the grief Charleston feels this week 
will be lifted by the legacy of their fallen heroes.

                          ____________________