[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 110 (Monday, July 29, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6008-S6009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING LUKE SHEEHY

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring the life of Luke Sheehy, a loving son, devoted friend, and 
courageous firefighter. Luke Sheehy passed away on June 10, 2013, 
succumbing to injuries he sustained while heroically combating a 
wildfire in the Modoc National Forest. He was 28 years old.
  Luke Sheehy was born in Susanville, CA, graduated from Susanville 
High School, and attended the Shasta College Fire Academy. After 
serving as a firefighter with the California Department of Forestry and 
the Bureau of Land Management's Diamond Mountain Hotshots, Luke became 
a U.S. Forest Service Smokejumper, parachuting from airplanes to fight 
fires in remote and hard-to-access areas, helping to train new 
smokejumpers and earning respect for his strong work ethic and 
leadership abilities.
  Those who knew him best will remember Luke as a genuine friend who 
loved his family and enjoyed hunting, fishing, snowboarding and the 
piano, guitar and fiddle.
  My heart goes out to Luke's family, loved ones, and colleagues, and 
my thoughts and prayers are with them.
  Luke Sheehy, like all those who fight fires across California, put 
his life on the line to protect our families and communities. We are 
forever indebted to him for his courage, service and sacrifice, and he 
will be dearly missed.

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