[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 1159]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



    TRIBUTE TO KIMBERLY SMITH AND LEWIS E. MAYO, TWO AMERICAN HEROES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sherwood). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this has been over the last 
couple of months and into 2000 a very tough time for the Nation's fire 
fighters. Over the last couple of months, we have seen these brave men 
and women go into fire battle to save lives and, as well, to protect 
us.
  Houston has suffered a great loss today. In the early morning hours, 
Kimberly Smith, one of our first female fire fighters in Houston, 
Texas, and Louis E. Mayo, lost their lives battling for us. Both of 
them tragically fell victim to an enormous fire in our community.
  The issue that we all face every day are choices of what we do and 
how we do it. I am very proud to say that Kimberly Smith and Louis E. 
Mayo offered their lives so that others might live and that the 
property of Houstonians might be protected. Kimberly Smith, one of the 
first women fire fighters, who served the Houston Fire Department ably 
and well, with great diligence and great professionalism, about to be 
married; Louis Mayo, a family man with three children, now lost forever 
to all of us.
  Mr. Speaker, I come this evening simply to acknowledge that we love 
them and we will miss them. I want to thank them for going into battle 
on our behalf. For fire fighters, sometimes it is not known of the 
danger that they face every single day.
  Chief Lester Tyra indicated in an interview today that fire fighters 
fight as many as 20 house fires or building fires a day, and that most 
people are not aware of the dangers that they encounter every single 
day, not only to protect us, but as well our property. These are 
important duties that they have, and we must be forever reminded that 
these fire fighters are in fact heroes and sheroes. They do this for us 
every single day.
  As a former member of the Houston City Council, I had the great 
privilege of interacting not only with the Houston fire fighters but 
the Houston Police Department. I know firsthand that they are great men 
and women.
  So, it is with great sadness I come to acknowledge before the people 
of the United States of America that, yes, in Houston, Texas, today, 
February 14, 2000, we lost two of our very special heroes, Kimberly 
Smith and Louis E. Mayo. May they forever rest in peace. We love them, 
we salute them as great Houstonians, great Texans, great Americans, and 
we thank them for the ultimate sacrifice.

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