[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 16149-16150]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF AMERICA'S BRAVEST

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Brady) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in having survived Hurricanes Rita 
and Ike, my district and the people of southeast Texas know and 
understand hurricanes and the devastation they can bring to our 
communities.
  This past September, we dealt with a very different type of disaster 
in the form of major wildfires in the Counties of Jasper, Tyler, 
Trinity, Walker, and in my home county of Montgomery. Luckily for us, 
we were also granted our September miracle on Labor Day weekend as fire 
crews from across Texas--and, in fact, from the entire country--came to 
Magnolia to battle a three-county blaze that threatened to consume well 
over 10,000 homes and businesses in Magnolia, as well as thousands more 
in neighboring Grimes and Waller Counties.
  In fact, if you look at this map, you can see the structures lost in 
Montgomery County were a fraction of the percentage of those saved by 
the brave fire crews. The fire was in this area outlined here, but you 
can see from the red, the yellow, the green, and the blue going out all 
the thousands of homes and small businesses which were saved because of 
the actions of our local firefighters.
  I had the privilege to go up twice to those fire areas to see for 
myself how the fire lines came right up to these homes--within 5 feet 
of their front doors. Somehow our firefighters saved them, and then 
they did it to the homes next to them and to the homes next to those. 
It is impossible for me and for anyone who could see that not to be in 
awe of these heroes. Their skill and dedication saved the town of 
Magnolia, and I can't wait to join them this Saturday in Unity Park to 
honor their success and their hard work.
  Chief Gary Vincent led the Magnolia Volunteer Firefighters and 
exemplified their motto: a community of unity. Gary united over 100 
different firefighting agencies by his side. The chief also had help 
from our dedicated sheriff, Tommy Gage, and his deputies; our 
constables; our police departments; our terrific fire marshal, Jimmy 
Williams, who you need to meet; our school districts; and the Texas 
Forest Service--just to name a few of the people and agencies that 
stepped up like you can't believe.

[[Page 16150]]

  California sent from the Federal Government the Interagency Incident 
Management Team, and I think they had their eyes open. They got to see 
what happens when a community rallies together as volunteers. It was a 
sight to behold. Everyday Texans and everyday citizens in the 
Montgomery/Magnolia County area joined with our charity agencies from 
the United Way, to the Red Cross, to our local food banks, to our 
churches, to our YMCAs, to chambers of commerce in order to provide a 
response to the firefighters across this Nation, a response that we 
will be talking about for years to come.
  We saw the best of our communities and the massive volunteer effort 
to feed, clothe, and take care of our bravest. At the Magnolia West 
High School staging area, I got a tour. If a firefighter were thirsty, 
three volunteers would rush over with a bottle of water, and there were 
likely two more behind them, carrying a hot meal, just in case that 
firefighter might be hungry.
  In speaking about the firefighters who came from across the country, 
all they could talk about was how well they were treated by the 
community of Magnolia. They came in looking for water and a FEMA bar, 
and what they got was home-cooked meals, fresh clothes and necessities. 
If they asked for it, a volunteer found it and brought it right over. 
When these volunteers ran low, they simply sent out a message on 
Facebook to the community; and within 3 hours, that staging area in the 
ag barn was filled to the brim again. It was amazing.
  The outpouring of love and support was truly a sight to behold. It's 
no wonder, back home we consider this God's country.
  Today, it's an honor for me to be here on the House floor to honor 
our heroes. Without all of you, thousands of families wouldn't have 
homes to go to tonight or businesses in which to work. The proof is 
right here on this map.
  This Saturday afternoon, Unity Park in Magnolia, our community, will 
come together to honor the men and women who beat back the fire, held 
the line and saved our community. We'll also honor them by heeding 
their warnings if the fire danger remains extraordinarily high. We must 
remain vigilant in our prevention efforts. That's another way we can 
honor our bravest, who spent the month of September away from their 
families, saving homes and businesses in our community.
  God bless our firefighters. God bless our volunteers and all who 
supported them, and God bless our community.

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