[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 118 (Friday, July 31, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H9247-H9248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE LIFE OF THOMAS MAROVICH, JR.

  (Mr. McCLINTOCK asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a young man who 
gave his life last week while fighting the Backbone Fire in the Trinity 
Alps wilderness.
  Thomas Marovich, Jr. was just 20 years old. He was in his second year 
with the U.S. Forest Service assigned to the Modoc National Forest. He 
was training with the Chester Helitack crew assigned to the Backbone 
Fire when a training accident claimed his life.
  He was born and raised in Hayward, but he had come to Northeastern 
California to protect our forests, our communities, and our citizens 
from the

[[Page H9248]]

ravages of fire. Thomas Marovich had wanted to be a firefighter since 
he was a little boy and, by all accounts, had an exemplary life ahead 
of him. He was only able to live 20 years of that life, sacrificing the 
rest of it for the safety of our community. And for that, we owe him 
and his grieving family our eternal gratitude.

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