The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE HEROIC EFFORTS OF BILL CARR AND JEFF KEEZER” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S2915 on Feb. 27, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE HEROIC EFFORTS OF BILL CARR AND JEFF KEEZER
Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, today it is my great honor to recognize the valiant efforts of two volunteer firefighters from Ainsworth, NE.
Mr. Bill Carr and Mr. Jeff Keezer of the Ainsworth Volunteer Firefighter Department were instrumental in the April 22, 2002 rescue attempt of Timothy Culpepper, a digital communications worker who was stranded more than one thousand one hundred feet in the air when a fifteen hundred foot telecommunications tower he was working on partially collapsed near Bassett, NE.
When a wire snapped disabling and stranding Mr. Culpepper, several agencies, including the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, were called upon for the dangerous rescue mission. However, upon arriving at the scene, response teams realized they were ill-equipped to perform the high-altitude rescue.
Bill Carr, a carpenter and married father of three, had spent many summers during college painting tall communications towers. Jeff Keezer, a married father of one, works for a steel company that erects hundred-foot grain elevators. Though these experiences could not have adequately prepared them for this dangerous and technically challenging rescue. They quickly volunteered to help.
With no regard for their personal safety, Mr. Carr and Mr. Keezer, armed only with estimations of the exact height of the stranded worker, began to make the physically challenging two-hour ascent to rescue the man who was hanging only by a harness. Carrying bundles of rope and heavy rescue equipment, these brave firefighters, along with a handful on colleagues from the Lincoln Fire Department, scaled the tower amid 30-mph winds and with dwindling daylight. Upon reaching Mr. Culpepper it was discovered that tragically he did not survive the impact of tumbling debris.
Mr. Carr and two other firefighters managed to scale the total distance to Mr. Culppeper in ninety minutes while Mr. Keezer, with heavy rescue equipment on his back, and two other firefighters scaled to the half-way point to manage the recovery effort and descent that lasted more than 3 hours.
Unfortunately these two brave and selfless first-responders were omitted from an award ceremony in Washington, D.C. on February 14. Though the Department of Justice didn't recognize their efforts, Mr. Carr and Mr. Keezer can forever hold their heads high knowing their bravery and the fabric of their character has made all Nebraskans, and especially their neighbors in Ainsworth, proud of their actions.
Mr. President, heroism comes in many forms and the courage displayed by Mr. Carr and Mr. Keezer with danger present is a shining example. Nebraskans like Mr. Carr and Mr. Keezer are selfless, honorable and just and they are what makes living in Nebraska living ``the good life.''
I am proud to represent Nebraskans like Mr. Carr and Mr. Keezer who are committed public servants. Volunteer services are an essential part of small-town America. Without the brave and selfless efforts of everyday citizens like Mr. Keezer and Mr. Carr, many rural communities would lack vital protection and security. The city of Ainsworth and the state of Nebraska are fortunate to have courageous citizens like Jeff Keezer and Bill Carr. These men are true heroes.
____________________
