[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3959-3960]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO THOMAS A. SHERMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2014

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to a 
man who has dedicated 50 years of his life in the service of the State 
of California and to the United States of America. I say with the 
utmost sincerity there are few who have contributed more to the 
understanding and development of the challenging and dangerous 
discipline of wildland firefighting as Thomas A. Sherman. Riverside 
County is fortunate to have enjoyed the leadership and experience that 
Tom Sherman has provided. On March 8, 2014, he will formally retire 
from the Bureau of Land Management Fire Service as Division Chief of 
California Desert District Fire and Aviation. In total, Tom has served 
in multiple capacities of the fire service at the county, state, and 
federal level.
  The roots of Tom's service go back generations when the Sherman 
(Schermarm) Family left Germany in the late 1800s to become some of the 
first settlers of the San Jacinto Mountains. Many years later, Tom was 
born in Upland, California on July 6, 1946 to Jack and Georgette 
Sherman. He spent a great deal of his youth in the Santa Ana Canyon 
learning from his grandfather and attending elementary school in 
Corona. He began what would become a long and thriving career in 
firefighting in 1963 as a Seasonal Firefighter with the California 
Division of Forestry (CDF) in Corona. After graduating from Blythe High 
School in 1965, he worked as a Firefighter with CDF in San Jacinto, 
California until 1966.
  In September of 1966, Tom answered his nation's call and was drafted 
into the U.S. Army. He attended basic training at Fort Ord, California 
and was subsequently sent to Vietnam in 1967 as a soldier with the 1st 
Battalion, 84th Artillery of the 9th Infantry Division. His potential 
was recognized by his superiors with a promotion to Sergeant and gun-
crew NCO in charge. He and his battalion earned two Presidential Unit 
Citations for their gallant service. Tom returned to the United States 
in March of 1968 and took the knowledge learned in Vietnam to train new 
artillery soldiers at the Artillery School at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. 
He was honorably discharged from the Army in June of 1968 as a 
Specialist 5th Class. Tom returned to California and immediately 
resumed his job at CDF as a Firefighter in Orange County
  Tom's natural leadership led to the initiation of numerous 
firefighting programs that exist to this day. He designed the Riverside 
County Fire Department emblem, which was formally adopted in 1976 and 
is still used. That same year while buying guitar strings at the Corona 
Music Center he met MaryAnn Colapinto. Not long after they were walking 
down the aisle to be married.
  As the 1970s progressed, he was appointed the first Fire Captain in 
the Riverside County Fire Department (RCFD). In that capacity he 
further revolutionized wildland fire response through the development 
of rapidly deployable hand-crews and a state-recognized crew relief 
driver program. His vast experience led the transformation of obsolete 
fire trucks into ``Brush Engines'' specifically designed for the unique 
terrain of Southern California. In 1985 he was recognized as a 
California State Certified Fire Captain for the impacts made across the 
county and state. Tom continued to advocate issues at the RCFD as both 
the President of the Riverside County Volunteer Fire Association and 
Vice President of the Riverside County Fire Chiefs Association.

[[Page 3960]]

  In the mid-1990s Tom expanded his influence when he was hired by the 
US Forest Service. There he was promoted to the position of Fire Crew 
manager for the Cleveland National Forest's Hotshot Crew. He 
transitioned to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as a seasonal Fire 
Prevention Technician at the Barstow District, Apple Valley Fire 
Center. His leadership was soon recognized, and he was promoted to 
Battalion Chief and permanent Fire Prevention Officer for Palm Springs 
and South Coast Regions. In 2003 was promoted to Division Chief and 
filled the position of California Desert District Fire Operations 
Supervisor. There, he was responsible for training, equipping, and 
standardizing engine crews, thus increasing professionalism of the 
teams and interoperability throughout the district. Most recently, Tom 
has acted as California Desert District Fire and Aviation Manager, 
where he enhanced interagency cooperation throughout the State of 
California, formalized federal air support to fire, and reinforced the 
reputation of BLM as a viable firefighting service.
  Today, Tom and MaryAnn reside in Corona, where MaryAnn is a Librarian 
of 25 years at Jefferson Elementary and a member of the Corona Library 
Board of Trustees. Tom has also been a member of the Elks Club and 
supports veterans issues as an active member of the Veterans of Foreign 
Wars. Their son, Tom began following his father's footsteps as a 
volunteer firefighter until he entered the United States Air Force 
Academy in 1991. He is currently a Colonel-Select in the United States 
Air Force's Security Forces and a student at the National War College 
at Ft McNair. Their daughter, Nancy, is a Global Clinical Research 
Program Manager at City of Hope in Pasadena, California.
  Throughout his career, Tom's unending love for the fire service 
created a drive that never ceased to encourage those around him. 
Fortunately, his legacy will live on through the countless firefighters 
he has mentored. I am proud to honor such a tremendous member of our 
community. Passion of this level is rare, but it is the standard that 
Tom has set for his family, his fellow firefighters, and his community 
members. I believe I speak for the countless individuals who have 
benefited from Tom's service when I thank him for the contributions he 
has made and salute him as he retires after 50 years of service.

                          ____________________