[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 24, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5988-H5991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING HEARTFELT SYMPATHY FOR THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES OF THE
RECENT IOWA TORNADO
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 1283) expressing heartfelt sympathy for the victims
and their families following the tornado that hit Little Sioux, Iowa,
on June 11, 2008.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1283
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
[[Page H5989]]
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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Clay) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.
General Leave
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Missouri?
There was no objection.
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, I rise in support of House Resolution 1283 which expresses our
heartfelt sympathy for the victims and the families following the
tornado that hit Little Sioux on June 11.
At 6:35 p.m. on June 11, a tornado touched down at the Little Sioux
Boy Scout Ranch near Little Sioux, Iowa. The tornado, which tore
through the ranch with the greatest force of nature, caused a rock
chimney to collapse into the bunkhouse where the Scouts sought shelter.
In the aftermath of the tornado's destruction, 43 individuals were
injured, and four, Sam Thomsen, Josh Fennen, Ben Petrzilka, and Aaron
Eilerts, were tragically killed.
Mr. Speaker, the Boy Scout community and America at large will grieve
the loss of the four Scouts whose lives ended so suddenly. With this
bill, we have the opportunity to commemorate the lives of these
individuals and to convey our gratitude to all those who so swiftly
responded to the disaster, and I urge the adoption of this resolution.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, June 12, a vicious cluster of tornadoes
ripped through the Midwest ending lives and destroying homes in
Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa. Though the storms devastated
families everywhere they touched down, one storm in particular that
touched down at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in Loess Hills, Iowa,
wounded the heart of our Nation a little more. And in a moment, I will
recognize some of our colleagues who were directly involved and are
here to share their thoughts on this tragedy.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of our time.
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker I continue to reserve.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to my colleague from Nebraska (Mr.
Terry) such time as he may consume.
{time} 2045
Mr. TERRY. I appreciate you yielding me the time.
I rise today to pay tribute to four boys who lost their lives after a
tornado destroyed their Boy Scout camp near Little Sioux, Iowa, on
Wednesday, June 11. And as the gentlelady from North Carolina
mentioned, it was a string of storms all the way from Iowa through
Omaha, Nebraska, all the way down into Manhattan, Kansas.
The boys were at this camp in Little Sioux, Iowa, Boy Scout camp,
learning leadership skills and were definitely on the right path to be
leaders in their future endeavors. Unfortunately, their lives were cut
short by a fierce and destructive storm, an F-3 tornado.
Interestingly, it was just the day before where the Scouts practiced
how to react to a disaster like a tornado, and we can be very proud of
the Scouts and how they acted after the storm.
This tornado killed four boys, injured almost 50 others. Killed in
the storm was 13-year-old Ben Petrzilka, 13-year-old Sam Thomsen, and
Josh Fennen. Those three boys were all from Omaha. Ironically, all
three of them were only a few miles from where my wife and my family
live.
Ben Petrzilka has been described as a caring and a natural leader. He
was a member of Boy Scout Troop 448 and earned more than 20 merit
badges, truly amazing.
Sam Thomsen was born more than 3 months premature, adopted by a
caring and loving family. They called Sam their ``miracle boy.'' His
pastor said he was ``great kid'' and always had a smile on his face.
Josh Fennen, a great student and hard worker as he was described by
his school principal, had a knack for exploring and was a natural
leader.
Aaron Eilerts was a member of Boy Scout Troop 108 in Humboldt, Iowa,
loved music, especially Elvis. For merit badges, he created pillowcases
for local hospitals and made blankets for the humane society. He truly
lived the Boy Scout Oath of: ``On my honor I will do my best to do my
duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help others at
all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and
morally straight.''
All of these boys lived the Scout Oath, something their family,
friends and fellow Scouts can be extremely proud of. I know I am.
I'm proud of all the Scouts and how they reacted. The stories of
heroism from these four fallen boys' colleagues are truly moving.
So God bless them, their families and Scouts everywhere.
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise
and extend her remarks.)
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I rise to support this legislation of Mr.
Terry and to offer my deep sympathy.
I serve on the board of the Boy Scouts in the Houston-Galveston area
and have worked with the Boy Scouts for a very, very long time. And so
I want to offer to the families of those who lost their life the
deepest sympathy of those from Texas and to be able to express my
appreciation for the organization of Boy Scouts that teaches character
and leadership and empathy.
And listening to the testimonies of those who survived and listening
to the testimony of those boys who then
[[Page H5990]]
helped others survive, I know that even in the loss of these young
heroes other young boy Scouts will learn the lessons even better of
leadership and challenge.
I'd like to add my sympathy to the families and to the community. As
we look over the Midwest, this has been an enormously tragic time.
Families have lost their homes. They've lost loved ones, but this was
particularly heart-wrenching, and many of us know the service that Boy
Scouts give across America.
And so I ask my colleagues, along with the Members who have come to
the floor today to support H. Res. 1283, to recognize the great loss
that we've experienced. We have to champion the organization of Boy
Scouts that teaches leadership and service, but also begins to build
the building blocks that allows those young men to be courageous as
they were to help others in their time of need.
Mr. Speaker, I ask support of the legislation.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my
colleague from Iowa (Mr. Latham).
Mr. LATHAM. I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my sympathy to the families who lost
their boys in the tornado in Little Sioux, Iowa, earlier this month.
As a parent, I know that no words uttered on this floor will ease the
pain of losing a child. I only hope today's statements will serve as a
timeless reminder that America's heart broke upon the news of this
tragic loss. As a Nation, we are all so very sorry for your loss.
I'd like to take a moment to talk about Aaron Eilerts of Eagle Grove,
Iowa. Aaron was 14 years old. He was the only son of Bob and Carol
Eilerts. He was a dedicated member of Boy Scout Troop 108.
Although I didn't have the honor of knowing Aaron, many people in the
town of Eagle Grove were touched deeply by this outstanding young man.
After reading the many tributes to Aaron Eilerts, I was struck by what
a special person he was.
Aaron had taken it upon himself to make pillowcases for children who
were sick and confined in hospitals. He made dozens of colorful
pillowcases, including one for his cousin who was recovering from
losing his leg serving our country in Iraq.
Aaron will be remembered for his generosity and his big heart. He
enjoyed making people happy and had a special gift for making folks
smile.
It should be noted that Aaron was a distinguished member of
Scouting's National Honor Society, The Order of the Arrow. Aaron was
elected to the Order by his peers because he best exemplified the Scout
Oath and Law in his daily life.
I will recite the Scout Oath and Law in Aaron's memory, and I hope it
will give people a sense of what kind of a person he was and what we
should all aspire to be.
The Scout Oath reads: ``On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty
to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people
at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and
morally straight.''
The Scout Law requires each Boy Scout to be trustworthy, loyal,
helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave,
clean, and reverent.
We should all follow Aaron Eilerts' example. He lived a good life,
doing good things for people in need.
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my
colleague from Iowa (Mr. King).
Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from North
Carolina for yielding.
I rise with my colleagues this evening to pay tribute to the Scouts
who were lost in that storm of June 11, 2008, and to those also who
survived and set such a fine example for Scouts everywhere and for all
time to follow.
The location of the tragedy is a few miles west of where I live, I
suppose about 25 miles as the crow flies over our beloved Loess Hills,
some of us call them the bluffs, yet a unique soil type that exists in
only one other place in the world.
And in those Loess Hills is an 1,800-acre wilderness park, the Boy
Scout camp, where sometimes there are as many as 8- to 900 Scouts
camping. On that fateful evening of June 11, there were about 93 Scouts
on the location, along with about 25 leaders.
And in this disaster, as I have been on the site the second morning
after the tragedy, as well as went over it last Saturday morning to
take a look at that from the air to try to make sense of it and put it
in a concept where I can at least explain it, this tornado came across
the Missouri riverbottom, and it ripped through a small treeline down
on the flat part of the riverbottom and then over an irrigation system
and flipped it over and went directly to the ranger's house, the ranger
who lives into the first finger valley in the bluffs in his home with
his wife and three small children.
That tornado went directly at his home, which had no basement, slab
on-grade, about the same kind of architecture as the shelter house that
the Boy Scouts were in, and took his house and tore it to shreds. They
huddled in an interior closet and ended up underneath the rubble from
their fireplace, trapped there, the ranger, his wife and the three
children. And they were all trapped and laying underneath the blocks
and the stones.
And the tornado then went on up the valley and just jumped over a
little ridge and dropped right down on the shelter house where 40 to 50
of the Scouts had gone to for shelter.
And I want to emphasize, Mr. Speaker, that there's nothing more the
Scouts could have done, no place that they could have gone that was
better than where they went, with 93 of them scattered out in these
finger valleys, and they were living in small pup tents that were
pitched along the valley. As I came in there, many of those tents were
crushed underneath the trees. If they had stayed in their tents they
would not have survived.
Some of them didn't get into the shelter house and had to lay on the
ground. Those that survived, the tornado miraculously sucked the air
out of their lungs, but 40 to 50 went into the shelter house, Mr.
Speaker. And they did the only thing they could do which is get the
kind of shelter that they could.
The velocity of the wind was such that it picked up a pick-up truck
that was sitting about 100 feet on the one side of the building and
blasted that vehicle through the building, through the fireplace,
through the chimney. And that vehicle landed about 150 feet the other
side of what was left of the building, which wasn't much at all. And
the Scouts that we lost were lost underneath the rubble that was
knocked down by that pick-up truck that was blown through.
This lasted about 8 seconds. Scouts being always prepared, one of
them punched the stopwatch on his wristwatch and timed the storm while
it was there and shut the stopwatch off. Eight seconds was how long the
terror lasted.
And immediately after that was over, some of the Scouts rose up from
the rubble and began to help the others and triage and do as their
first aid training had taught them.
Some of them ran down not quite a half a mile to the ranger's home,
where they began frantically tearing the rubble off of the ranger and
his three children and his wife and who were trapped underneath there
and would have eventually suffocated. They pulled them all out, and
they all walked away, the ranger and his family.
Some of the Scouts ran up to another location on the wilderness
campsite and went into a building and got a couple of small ATVs and
all the chainsaws they could get their hands on. By the time the
emergency personnel arrived--that was within 7 minutes--they were
sawing logs out of the way to make room for the emergency workers.
These Scouts not only had trained the day before, but 2 years and 2
months earlier, they had trained in April for a similar kind of a
drill. They were surprised at 5 o'clock in the morning by the Scout
leaders and the local EMT workers who had set up this training drill.
They had issued the Scouts first-aid kits, light boxes or clear plastic
boxes, with gauze and other type of first-aid equipment in those kits.
These Scouts who had trained 2 years earlier and 1 day earlier
[[Page H5991]]
for a similar disaster, found themselves with the first-aid kits that
they had been issued, giving first aid to their fellow Scouts and some
to their Scout leaders.
As I walked that site on the Friday morning following the Wednesday
afternoon, some of these first-aid kits were scattered out around the
site where they had been used up helping each other. It's a powerful
example of the training that the Scouts had gone through and how they
used that training.
Mr. Speaker, they did everything they could have done from a training
standpoint. They did everything they could have done from a reaction
standpoint. They did all of the right things in the aftermath of the
tornado, and I believe that this tragedy of losing the four Scouts, as
sad as it is--and we pay tribute to them and their lives and we offer
our prayers and our shared grief to their families and the families of
all of those who feel this pain--as sad as that is, I believe that
there is a silver lining to this cloud.
First, I'm confident that there will be a memorial built on that
location for those four Scouts.
{time} 2100
And I believe that there will be a day soon where the training drills
of the Scouts will incorporate the things that they learned there, the
things that they did there, and I believe there will be Scouts that
come to this camp, this 1,800-acre wilderness camp, from all over the
United States over time who will train on the very location where we
lost the four Scouts.
Before I conclude, Mr. Speaker, I do want to read the list of the
local volunteer organizations that I know are at least on this list--
and I'm convinced it cannot be all of them--the Little Sioux, Iowa,
Volunteer Fire Department on the site quickly, along with the Monona
County Emergency Management people, the Decatur Volunteer Fire
Department of Decatur, Nebraska, Fort Calhoun, Nebraska Volunteer Fire
Department, Monona County Sheriff's Department, Harrison County
Sheriff's Department, the Iowa State Patrol, Iowa National Guard, Red
Cross, Mercy Air Care, and the Little Sioux Boy Scout Ranch. They all
began to arrive there within 7 minutes of the time that this tornado
concluded.
I congratulate them for their courageous response, for the example
that they've set, for the inspiration that they are. I hope to be there
to dedicate the memorial when that day comes. I offer my prayers and
sympathy to the Scouts and their families. May God continue to bless
the Boy Scouts of America.
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this resolution and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, from our darkest trials, Americans
consistently display their true heroism. The horrible events on the
night of June 11 were no different. No one is surprised to learn that
the Scouts themselves displayed leadership skills and composure in the
face of danger above and beyond their years. Had these courageous young
men not lived up to their motto, ``Always Be Prepared,'' it is likely
that this tragedy would have been magnified.
I pray that all involved with Scouting will be inspired by the
examples of the Scouting community shown through this tragedy, and that
our benevolent God grant a sense of peace to all those affected by the
tragedy.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H. Res.
1263.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) that the House suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1283.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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