[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 126 (Thursday, August 1, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5788-S5789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 798--COMMEMORATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MANN 
  GULCH FIRE BY DESIGNATING AUGUST 5, 2024, AS ``MANN GULCH MEMORIAL 
                             TRIBUTE DAY''

  Mr. TESTER (for himself, Mr. Daines, and Mr. Tillis) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 798

       Whereas, on August 5, 1949, the United States was shocked 
     by a wildland fire-fighting tragedy in which 12 United States 
     Forest Service smokejumpers and 1 district fire guard, a 
     former smokejumper, tragically died when they were overtaken 
     by a raging Mann Gulch forest fire in the Helena National 
     Forest;
       Whereas the smokejumpers answered a routine fire call from 
     their base in Missoula, Montana, and after successfully 
     landing by parachutes near the fire and beginning the process 
     to contain and extinguish it, they were trapped as the fire 
     exploded beneath them;
       Whereas 8 of the 13 men who lost their lives were United 
     States military veterans who served with distinction in World 
     War II;
       Whereas Bob Salle, 1 of 3 smokejumpers who survived the 
     fire stated on the occasion of the 50th Mann Gulch 
     Anniversary Memorial, ``It is time to rededicate ourselves to 
     the memory of these fine young men and the lesson they best 
     taught us, that wildfires are, and always will be, dangerous 
     and we must respect its potential to put a fire fighter in 
     harm's way. Life is precious--and for some very short'';
       Whereas on the 75th Anniversary of this tragedy the Helena-
     Lewis and Clark National Forest and the National Smokejumpers 
     Association will honor the memory of these young men by 
     organizing memorial tribute activities--
       (1) in Helena, Montana;
       (2) at Mann Gulch; and
       (3) at each of the 13 individual gravesites across the 
     United States in Montana, New York, Massachusetts, 
     Pennsylvania, Tennessee, North Carolina, and California;
       Whereas this tragedy resulted in improved training, safety 
     equipment, and fire-fighting strategies and the development 
     of scientific research in fire behavior; and
       Whereas, in the words of a sister of one of the Mann Gulch 
     fatalities, ``You think back,

[[Page S5789]]

     and you just wish, you hope that these men are not completely 
     forgotten'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Mann 
     Gulch fire, honors the memory of Joseph Sylvia, Robert 
     Bennet, Marvin Sherman, Silas R. Thompson, Stanley Reba, 
     Newton Thompson, Leonard Piper, Davide Navon, Phillip McVey, 
     Henry Thol, James Harrison, Eldon Diettert, and William 
     Hellman who died in service to their country protecting our 
     national resources;
       (2) expresses heartfelt appreciation to all current men and 
     women who fight wildfires today across the United States; and
       (3) proclaims that August 5, 2024, be designated as ``Mann 
     Gulch Memorial Tribute Day''.

                          ____________________