Congratulating Rochester Fire Chief Tom Butler on His Upcoming Retirement

Floor Speech

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Mr. YAKYM. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize and congratulate Fire Chief Tom Butler, who is retiring as Fire Chief of the Rochester Fire Department in Rochester, Indiana, at the end of this month.

Serving as Rochester Fire Chief since 2008, Tom's career in public safety spans back three decades when he started as a volunteer firefighter for the Department in 1994. Chief Butler's 16 and a half years in his current role means that when he retires on June 28, he will hold the title for the longest serving Fire Chief in Rochester history.

Chief Butler's career with the Rochester Fire Department is but one reflection of his lifelong passion for helping others. Since he was a young man, Chief Butler felt a calling to serve our Nation in uniform. That calling led Tom to enter military service, where he was a military medic for 24 years with stints in both the Army and the Indiana Army National Guard. Part of that service was spent on two tours in the Middle East, including a deployment during Operation Desert Storm. Tom distinguished himself in service, and his military awards include a Bronze Star, expert field medical badge, and combat medical badge.

Because of his service as Fire Chief, the Rochester community and Fulton County are unquestionably better off and safer thanks to this good man who exemplifies what it means to be a true public servant who sacrifices for others.

Chief Butler's example and leadership are also reminders that first responders are on the frontlines of some of the most difficult situations our communities face. When there is a problem, first responders like Tom answer the call and willingly put themselves in danger's path to keep us safe. For that, all of us are extremely grateful.

I am proud to join so many Hoosiers throughout Indiana's Second District in expressing our appreciation to Chief Butler for his impressive career spent in service to others. I wish Tom and his family--including his wife Samantha and their two children Alison and Daniel--all the best going forward as Tom begins the next chapter of his life and a very well-deserved retirement. May God bless.

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