Recognizing Lester Gibbs Upon His Retirement

Floor Speech

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Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor firefighter Les Gibbs on his retirement. Les is one of the best friends I have in the world, Mr. Speaker.

When I was a single man, I would always enjoy going honky-tonking with Les because he didn't drink. Neither did I, and I knew I wasn't going to have to do anything. When we would go to the Cotton Eyed Joe, the ladies would be tripping over me and pushing me out of way to get in line to dance with Les.

Les has always been a good friend to me, and my parents loved him, too. When I would ask him to go eat pizza with me, he would always ask: ``Are Charlie and Joyce going?'' It was always clear to me that they ranked a little bit higher than me on his list, and that was okay because I had very cool parents. He loved them right up until the end, and he was the man who actually carried my momma out of the nursing home when she died.

You could always count on his motorcycle to run, and you could always count on mine to break down. When I got a new bike, which was actually a new bike for me but old for anybody else, he would say, ``Oh, I got a new rope,'' because he knew he was going to have to pull it. That was a true statement.

I was there on the day he was sworn in as a firefighter in the city of Knoxville, and I wish I could be in Tennessee instead of Washington when he retires. I am hoping that my beautiful wife, Kelly, and daughter, Isabel, will be there. They love Lester. He has always been good to me and my folks and the community around him. I can't thank him enough for that.

He has been a great friend to me, and he has been a better firefighter. He has been a great friend to hundreds, if not thousands, of other people. I wish him nothing but good times in retirement.

Thank you for everything, Lester, you have done for me and my family, brother. You are very much loved.

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