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8 – August 17, 2011 - Bear Laker Supplement to The News-Examiner, the only newspaper in the whole world that cares about the Bear Lake Valley
Bear Laker – August 17, 2011 - 9
Forest fire fighter could be hero next door
Joshua “Sause” Lee Thornock (1983-2009)
Thanks to the Thornock family,
Montpelier District, Caribou-Targhee
National Forest and friends for
supplying valuable information
and photos for this story.
The great use of life is
to spend it for something
that will outlast it.
When he was very young, Joshua’s dream was to be a fire fighter.
At the time of his death, “Sause” was living that dream and had
attained the position of Engine Boss in the South Zone Fire Crew of
the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
Sause was fondly known by many. He loved all his friends and
family dearly and rarely had harsh words to say about anyone. He
was able to get along and work well with people.
He began his Forest Service career as a seasonal employee in
2001 as a member of a four-person weed crew where he spent his
time spraying and cutting noxious and invasive weeds. During that
time, he received a safety award for treating 300 acres of weeds
without an accident.
Josh was always willing to jump in and help someone without
being asked. Ken Klingenberg, a forester at the Montpelier district
office, remembers a day when he was frantically looking for an
item he had misplaced at the warehouse. The next thing he knew
there was an extra set of hands rummaging through a pile of stuff
helping him look for the item. Of course it was Sause. Without hesitation
Sause said to Ken, “What does a guy need to do to get a job
with you next year” Needless to say the next year he was working
for Ken.
Josh was a hard worker and had a great work ethic, something
that he learned from his father and family. A lot of assignments he
went on would be a test of anyone’s endurance, strength and commitment
to the job. He enjoyed the challenge and the hard work
that was given him.
During the 2002 and 2003 summer seasons, Josh worked on the
timber crew. He spent the summers thinning trees, building barbwire
fences around timber plantations, distributing pheromone
packets in an effort to cut down the large number of bark beetles
attacking trees and spraying weeds in timber sale areas. He participated
in prescribed burns as a means to prep sites before trees were
planted, helped with Type 2 stand exams (counting the amount of
trees in a specific area) and worked with the recreation crews reworking
trails and recreation facilities. In 2003 he also continued to
support fire fighting efforts and was made Squad Boss on the East
Table Fire on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in July, and Saw
Boss on the Winslow Fire on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest
in September.
Besides being a great worker, he was also an example and friend
to all whom he worked with. Other employees would jump up and
even compete at the chance to get to work with Sause for the day.
He was an extremely loyal friend to all.
After long hours and no days off anyone has a tendency to
become grumpy. There were many times when Josh pulled some
crazy stunts to cheer up and get everyone laughing. When coworker,
Ash Phelps, would come in to work in a bad mood, Josh
would pick him up, turn him upside down and tickle him till he
started to laugh. That sight would definitely put a smile on anyone’s
face.
Sometimes out of the blue, Josh would break out in song which
would echo throughout the forest, just to lighten the air and lift
everyone’s spirits or he would yell out for all to hear, “Hey You
Guys,” a movie quote from one of his favorite movies, The
Goonies.
During his short career, Josh participated in 14 fires in 2004 as a
fire fighter, a Fire Engine Operator on 10 fires in 2005, 26 fires in
2006, 16 in 2007, and 18 during the 2008 season. While doing site
prep for a controlled burn in 2007 in a natural regeneration stand of
lodge pole pine in Unit 5 of the Emigration timber sale he was
knocked unconscious, when a tree he was cutting down, hit him on
the right side of his head.
Josh fought fires in almost all of the western states and in 2008
received his qualification to become an Engine Foreman. This gave
him authority to take a fire engine out on fire incidents and supervise
a two-person crew. He helped with the clean up in Las Vegas,
during the Bird Flu outbreak. He even spent two weeks in Texas as
part of a 20-person crew to help find parts from the space shuttle
Discovery disaster. Josh performed flawlessly in these duties and
provided excellent safe supervision for his crew members.
In 2009 Josh was looking forward to running a skidsteer with a
wood mulching attachment to aid in reducing hazardous fuels and
putting in fire lines around prescribed burns. He was so excited for
this new position and couldn’t wait to get out on his new machine
and get to work. Unfortunately the machine was late in arriving,
and he never received the chance to get out in the forest that summer
and tear stuff up.
Those living deeply have no fear of death. Josh was big on having
no fear. He loved life and knew how to enjoy it and bring joy to
others. He believed that one should never hold back. He was never
afraid of dying…he was afraid of not living. He always went about
life creating experiences that required courage and no fear or hesitation.
He was always helping a friend in need, no matter what the
case maybe. Josh always gave his all and joyfully so. He was
always up to something and planning something just to get a rise
out of someone, to make them laugh and smile.
Josh had many challenges come his way. Whether it was crashing
vehicles, having a large quaking aspen hit him in the head, or
having a large grapefruit-sized tumor removed from his thigh, he
always bounced back and pushed forward with even more determination
and with a great fun-loving attitude. On a calm spring
night, May 22, 2009, Joshua Lee “Sause” Thornock passed away
due to a pulmonary embolism in the same living room in which he
and all of his friends hung out, talked and shared their dreams.
He often recited his favorite lines from the movie, Masters of the
Universe, “Don’t say good bye, say good journey. Live the journey
for every destination is but a doorway to another. Good journey,
Josh; good journey.
A memorial grove was built in
Joshua’s honor in Bloomington, by
family, forest service brothers and
sisters, friends and neighbors.
Josh found great
enjoyment in being
Smokey Bear for
parades and such.
Brian Nate, Josh & Ash Phelps
Josh’s yellow fire shirt hangs in the
lobby of the Forest Service office in
Montpelier. The frame was made
by Dennis Duehren, District
Ranger of the Montpelier District.