[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20803]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      JERSEY CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Jersey City Fire 
Department. On September 19, the department received a 2008 Secretary 
of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, right here in Washington, 
D.C., for supporting our Guard and Reserve.
  For deployments of 12 months, the fire department continues all 
benefits for servicemembers and their families, as well as full pay for 
deployments of up to 6 months. They have also shown a tremendous 
personal generosity by collecting $6,000 in phone cards to send to 
their coworkers and units serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also 
collect gifts during the holidays for the children of servicemembers 
and help families that are falling on tough times during the 
deployment.
  I am so proud of the Jersey City Fire Department's dedication to 
their coworkers, our community, our Guard and Reserve, and our country. 
They are very deserving of this high honor.

                          ____________________