[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16341]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 TRAGEDY IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, on June 18, 2007, in the face of blazing 
fire, sacrifice and duty overcame fear and surrender. With great 
sadness and the utmost respect, Senator DeMint and I mourn the 
tremendous loss of nine of our finest firefighters, as well as the 
immeasurable loss experienced by their families and loved ones. As the 
flames engulfed the building, the brave men and women of the Charleston 
County Fire Department rushed into the collapsing building as others 
were running out, fleeing for their lives. May this extraordinary 
courage and sacrifice forever reflect the spirit of South Carolina, as 
well as that of our great Nation.
  We extend our sincerest condolences to their families, their 
colleagues, and their friends. You give your loved ones to us to serve 
and protect our communities, putting public service above personal 
comfort. Our gratitude is boundless and our respect infinitely deep. We 
grieve beside you, and we take pride in and are humbled by this 
ultimate display of service and valor. In the midst of grief and 
devastation, may you find comfort in knowing that the memory of your 
loved ones will be forever etched in the minds of South Carolinians as 
the true embodiment of an American hero.
  The United States has not experienced such a devastating loss of 
firefighters since the horrific events on September 11, 2001. May the 
Charleston County Fire Department, led by Chief Rusty Thomas, as well 
as emergency personnel around the country, forever fill this massive 
void with the legacy left behind by these brave fallen firefighters. 
Let their legacy not be engulfed by flames and reduced to rubble but 
rather let it embolden and encourage others to serve in their honor and 
continue their mission to public service. There is no higher call than 
to serve, and to the fallen, their families, and those that will fill 
their shoes, we are forever indebted to you for your noble sacrifices.

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