[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 129 (Thursday, August 6, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S4509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO WILDLAND AND AERIAL FIREFIGHTERS

  Mr. SHEEHY. Mr. President, as our nation reaches the height of 
another fire season, it is my honor to pay tribute to our wildland and 
aerial firefighters.
  As we gather in the Senate today, wildland fire crews are working 
long days in difficult conditions across the country to protect 
resources, property, and their fellow Americans. As first responders, 
they don't get to choose when and where they are needed. One phone call 
can send them hundreds of miles from home for days or even weeks. 
Operating on the ground and by air, this profession demands endurance, 
quick thinking, and extraordinary precision to get the job done.
  More often than not, success in getting the job done is measured by 
what never happens: a neighborhood that doesn't burn, a family that 
doesn't lose everything, a highway that remains open, a town that gets 
another chance. Those victories rarely make the evening news, but they 
matter just the same.
  With catastrophic wildfires burning in our Nation today, It's worth 
taking a moment to honor the brave men and women leading our Nation's 
wildland fire response. They are neighbors, parents, sons, daughters, 
veterans, and friends. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary 
work under extraordinary circumstances, and they deserve our 
recognition and thanks.

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