[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 620]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          COMMENDING IOWA FIREFIGHTERS AND MAQUOKETA RESIDENTS

  (Mr. BRALEY of Iowa asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise today to salute the people 
of Maquoketa, Iowa, for their extraordinary sense of civic duty during 
the course of a severe fire that destroyed a sizable part of the city's 
historic downtown early Saturday morning. I also want to recognize the 
efforts of firefighters from Maquoketa and 27 surrounding communities 
to extinguish the blaze and keep it from consuming other downtown 
buildings.
  The fire was a blow to Maquoketa's historic downtown, completely 
destroying five buildings and causing severe damage to several 
businesses and homes.
  While the fire left behind physical and emotional scars, it also 
demonstrated what makes Iowa such a great place. Firefighters battled 
tirelessly through subzero temperatures and wind chills of 20 below 
zero to get the blaze under control. Meanwhile, hundreds of Maquoketa 
residents open their homes and businesses to provide warm shelter, hot 
food, and emotional support for the firefighters and residents impacted 
by the fire.
  Perhaps young Maquoketa resident Kalli Muhlhausen said it best: 
``They have our hearts, and we have their backs.''
  Iowans dismiss such an outpouring of generosity as simply ``the right 
thing to do,'' but the people of Maquoketa deserve a special thank you.

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