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 pre-
mature, but luckily had no lasting health problems;
•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 con-
fident 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 center-
pieces for the senior citizen dining center in Eagle Grove;
•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 coun-
try, 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 leader-
ship 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, car-
ried 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 Cen-
ter in Onawa, Iowa; Community Memorial Hospital in 
Missouri Valley, Iowa; and Memorial Community Hos-
pital in Blair, Nebraska; 
Whereas the majority of those injured and sent to area hos-
pitals received treatment and were released; 
Whereas first responders and officers of the Little Sioux Vol-
unteer Fire Department, Monona Country Emergency 
Management, Decatur Volunteer Fire Department, Fort
•HRES 1283 EH 
Calhoun Volunteer Fire Department, Monona County 
Sheriff’s Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Depart-
ment, 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 Mi-
chael 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 nat-
ural disaster for months and years to come: Now, there-
fore, 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 offi-
cials, police, fire department, sheriff, volunteer, and