[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18970]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING JOHN SULLIVAN UPON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 1, 2002

  Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
lifetime of service of Fire Chief John ("Jack") Sullivan to the 
community of Bondsville, Massachusetts. His commitment to his town 
should be an example to us all of an answer to the call of duty and 
responsibility to our Nation. America's firefighters play a vital part 
in our communities and deserve more recognition for their role.
  "Jack" Sullivan began his career in public service when he joined the 
National Guard in 1952. After three years with Company "B" 104th 
infantry, he was granted an Honorable Discharge. He then became a 
member of the Operating Engineers Union, Local #98. "Jack" retired from 
that organization after 38 years of involvement.
  In 1967, "Jack" joined the Bondsville Fire Department. About one year 
later, Bondsville endured one of the worst fires in its history. "Jack" 
fought the Bondsville Mill Fire alongside over 500 firefighters from 18 
different fire departments. The blaze burned for over 24 hours and 
caused a great deal of damage to property in the town. Most of the 
effort to fight the fire was simply to prevent it from spreading.
  Due to his exemplary service, "Jack" quickly became a captain and 
ultimately, in 1977, he rose to the position of Fire Chief. He has 
filled that post for the past 25 years. In that time, he has been able 
to obtain a substantial amount of equipment for the training and safety 
of his firefighters. His dedication to the community of Bondsville does 
not stop with his commitment to the Fire Department; he was a member of 
countless committees to improve the safety of the town.
  After 35 years with the Bondsville Fire Department, he has decided to 
retire. The Bondsville community is greatly indebted to Fire Chief 
Sullivan for his years of service. Indeed, we are, as a Nation, 
eternally grateful to all our firefighters for their selfless 
contribution to our society.

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