[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19284]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         CELEBRATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OFFICER W. THOMAS LEE

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                           HON. BOB ETHERIDGE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 23, 2009

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a true 
hometown hero. On Tuesday, July 14, 2009, while on patrol, Officer W. 
Thomas Lee of the Smithfield Police Department in Smithfield, North 
Carolina, saved a couple and their three children from an early morning 
house fire.
  Officer Lee was on patrol just after 2:00 a.m. when he saw a car 
burning at 1411 W. Market Street in Smithfield, where Javier Ramirez, 
Maria Mejia and their children, ages 12 to 18, were sleeping. Lee 
banged loudly on the front door and on several windows before managing 
to wake the family. The family was able to exit the structure through a 
bedroom window to avoid moving about the burning home. Fortunately, no 
one was injured. The fire had spread to the attic and roof of the house 
by the time firefighters arrived just before 2:20 a.m., Smithfield Fire 
Marshal Paul Whitehurst said. The blaze began when the engine of the 
family's 2003 Ford Mustang caught fire. In a statement the family said, 
``if it hadn't been for the police officer that saw [the fire], it 
would have been a very different situation.'' Madame Speaker, this is 
an understatement.
  It is first-class citizens like Officer Lee who highlight the sense 
of community and duty shared by all our first responders. These 
emergency personnel work tirelessly on behalf of our communities and I 
would like to take this time to recognize their achievements. Officer 
Lee is truly a hometown hero and I ask my colleagues to join in 
congratulating his bravery and integrity.

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