H. Res. 1283 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

June 24, 2008. 

Whereas the Boy Scouts attending the Little Sioux Scout 

Ranch for the annual Pohuk Pride Junior Leadership 

training course suffered through a horrific tornado; 

Whereas, on June 11, 2008, the tornado hit the Little Sioux 

Boy Scout Ranch near Little Sioux, Iowa, at 6:35 p.m., 

killing 4 youths and injuring 43 other people at the 

camp; 

Whereas Little Sioux Boy Scout Ranch, which spans 1,800 

acres, is located in the Loess Hills in western Iowa, close 

to the border with Nebraska, about 40 miles north of 

Omaha; 

Whereas the tornado caused a giant rock chimney to collapse 

in the bunkhouse where the Boy Scouts were seeking 

shelter; 

Whereas the devastation of the tornado resulted in the deaths 

of Sam Thomsen, Josh Fennen, Ben Petrzilka, and 

Aaron Eilerts; 

Whereas Sam Thomsen of Omaha, Nebraska, was 13 years 

old and the son of Sharon and Larry Thomsen; 

Whereas Sharon Thomsen referred to Sam as the family’s 

‘‘miracle’’ baby, as he was born more than 3 months premature, but luckily had no lasting health problems; 
2 

•HRES 1283 EH 

Whereas Sam Thomsen, who loved camping, Jesus, football, 

and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, as a member of Troop 

26 and wanted to eventually become an Eagle Scout; 

Whereas Sam was about to turn 14 years old on June 16, 

2008, and he had asked his parents for tickets to the 

College World Series as his birthday present; 

Whereas Josh Fennen of Omaha, Nebraska, was 13 years 

old, had just finished the 8th grade, and was the son of 

Charles and Dorothy Fennen; 

Whereas Josh Fennen, a member of Troop 331, was confident and inquisitive, with natural leadership abilities; 

Whereas according to Josh Fennen’s middle school principal, 

Josh was a ‘‘good student, a hard worker, and he was 

always trying to be creative’’; 

Whereas Ben Petrzilka of Omaha, Nebraska, was 13 years 

old and the son of Bryan and Arnell Petrzilka; 

Whereas Ben Petrzilka had just finished 7th grade at Mary 

Our Queen Catholic School and often spent time fishing 

and hunting with his father; 

Whereas Ben Petrzilka had been a member of Troop 448 for 

3 years and had reached First Class rank, 3 steps below 

Eagle, and was assistant leader of the Ninja Patrol of 

Troop 448; 

Whereas Aaron Eilerts of Eagle Groove, Iowa, was 14 years 

old and a member of Boy Scout Troop 108; 

Whereas Aaron Eilerts was always doing things for others, 

whether it was creating brightly colored pillowcases for 

patients at local hospitals, making fleece blankets for 

dogs at the Humane Society, or making table centerpieces for the senior citizen dining center in Eagle Grove; 
3 

•HRES 1283 EH 

Whereas Aaron Eilerts, an aspiring chef with an obsession 

with Elvis, was very involved in his community, as he 

often performed ‘‘The Star Spangled Banner’’ at local 

sporting events, participated in football, ran cross country, and was involved in both band and choir; 

Whereas Sam Thomsen, Josh Fennen, Ben Petrzilka and 

Aaron Eilerts all lived by the Scout Oath, ‘‘On my honor, 

I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country 

and obey the Scout law, to help other people at all times, 

to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and 

morally straight’’; 

Whereas all the Boy Scouts exhibited extraordinary leadership by executing techniques they had recently been 

taught in a mock emergency drill just a day before the 

tornado hit; 

Whereas the Boy Scouts removed stones that had fallen onto 

fellow Scouts, tied tourniquets around the limbs of the 

wounded, helped pull the injured out of the rubble, carried the injured on stretchers, and kept their composure 

in the face of disaster; 

Whereas the 43 injured people were taken to 5 hospitals: 

Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha; Mercy 

Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa; Burgess Health Center in Onawa, Iowa; Community Memorial Hospital in 

Missouri Valley, Iowa; and Memorial Community Hospital in Blair, Nebraska; 

Whereas the majority of those injured and sent to area hospitals received treatment and were released; 

Whereas first responders and officers of the Little Sioux Volunteer Fire Department, Monona Country Emergency 

Management, Decatur Volunteer Fire Department, Fort 
4 

•HRES 1283 EH 

Calhoun Volunteer Fire Department, Monona County 

Sheriff’s Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa National Guard, Red 

Cross, and Mercy Air Care arrived at the Little Sioux 

Boy Scout Ranch within 10 minutes and walked through 

the rain on a muddy road to reach the campers, as fallen 

trees in the heavily timbered park blocked their vehicles; 

Whereas, on June 12, 2008, Iowa Governor Chet Culver and 

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman met with families of 

the victims, expressed their condolences, and thanked 

those who helped during the disaster; 

Whereas Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff toured the camp on June 12, 2008, and 

said it appeared that the Boy Scouts ‘‘didn’t have a 

chance’’ and that the tornado came through the camp 

‘‘like a bowling ball’’; and 

Whereas the Boy Scout community will grieve the loss and 

celebrate the lives of those who died in this horrific natural disaster for months and years to come: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) expresses its heartfelt sympathy for the victims 

and their families of the tornado in Little Sioux, Iowa, 

on June 11, 2008; and 

(2) conveys its gratitude to the city and county officials, police, fire department, sheriff, volunteer, and 
5 

•HRES 1283 EH 

emergency medical teams who responded swiftly to the 

scene to treat the wounded. 

Attest: 

Clerk.