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HomeMy Public PortalAboutThrash, JamesFamilies of fire victims Thrash's interview of five years ago proved prophetic IBy Karen Bossick The Idaho Statesman MCCALL -- "Probably the most important thing out there is that you never want to come down to your last option," New Meadows smoke jumper Jim Thrash told Playboy magazine five years ago. Thrash met up with his last option Wednesday on a smoke - choked mountainside near Glen- wood Springs, Colo. Fellow smoke jumpers and their families silently mourned his death and that of fellow smoke jumper Roger Roth in a somber reunion Friday on the mourn together runway outside the Payette Na- pulled off the the day checking the base's op- tional Forest Smokejumper fires and g erations board. One by one, each Base. brought back �.� man was accounted for except Seventeen of Thrash's surviv- to the base �x, for Thrash and Roth. ing colleagues flew home from for one -on- "I'm almost embarrassed to Glenwood Springs, Colo., where one and say that I felt relief when we Thrash and Roth died fighting a group coun found there were only two be- lightning-sparked fire. Other seling ses- cause at one time we felt there base members flew in from fires sions to help could be a dozen," he says. in Utah and Arizona. them get over '" ='' Seagraves considers both men A few dozen family members the trauma. Jack Seagraves like family. Most smoke jumpers and friends waited tensely and Already, smokejumpers from share such feelings, he says, be- quietly for the white Forest Ser- around the nation have started cause they're an elite group, num- vice planes trimmed in reddish- arriving to express their condo- bering only about 400 nationwide. orange and black. As the smoke lences to Thrash's widow and "I'm sure we will work this jumpers left the plane , welcom- two school -aged children. out as a family," Seagraves says. ers hesitated. Then one man Jack Seagraves, a smoke Smoke jumpers had already broke the ice by clasping the j umper who will turn 52 in a few started doing that on planes hand of one of the firefighters. days, spent Thursday working back to McCall on Friday. One woman hugged her hus- outside, where he could be alone "We started joking about band for three minutes, as her with his thoughts. He would Thrash, how he enjoyed riling husband patted her reassuringly have been working on the fire people up and baiting them into on her back. A child sqt wiping had he known how to work his arguments," says smoke jumper his wet eyes in the shade of the new cellular phone, he says. Brad Sanders. "And we won - equipment room. By missing a call, he missed dered: Who was going to fix our The smoke jumpers were the flight out. Instead, he spent cars back, as Roth had." Thrash, a smoke jumper for 15 years, told a Playboy interview- er that a common thread among smoke jumpers is their love for adventure. They're adrenaline freaks, he said, who are willing to risk their limbs landing in a 100 - foot -tall Ponderosa pine and • fight 200 mph cyclonic winds and fire so hot it could burn your skin from 100 feet away. "Smoke jumpers are pretty much expected to be tougher than a two - dollar steak," Thrash said. Despite the risk they take, smoke jumpers prefer to think Jim Thrash death can't happen to them. The average age of a smoke jumper in McCall is 35, they point out. Twenty of the 70 are over 40 years. A' Seagraves and others readily Y say they've never known anoth- er smoke jumper to have to de- ploy his fire shelter before Wednesday's fire. Roger Roth Troy Maben /The Idaho Statesman A McCall smokejumper weeps as other smokejumpers arrive back at the smokejumper unit from Colorado on Friday. JAMES ROBERT THRASH James Robert Thrash, 44, of New Meadows, died Wednesday, July 6, 1994, at Glenwood Springs, Colo. - doing what he loved best. Graveside services were hold at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 12, 1994, at the New Meadows Cemetery. The Rev. Dr. Stan Tate of Moscow officiated. Arrangements were under direction of the Heikkila Funeral Chapel, McCall. Jim was born Aug. 23, 1949, at Sacramento, Calif. He grew up in Phoenix, Ariz., and graduated from Cortez High School in 1967. He at- tended Pasadena College on a base- ball scholarship, and received his bachelor's degree in Spanish and his- tory. While in Pasadena, Calif., he met Holly E. Kliewer of Shafter, Calif. They were married in May 1973 at Bakersfield, Calif. In 1974, Jim and Holly moved to Nampa, Idaho. He taught social stud- ies and Spanish while coaching the varsity baseball team at Middleton High School for four years. Both Jim and Holly began their work for the U.S. Forest Service in 1979 when they moved to McCall. It was in 1981 that Jim began his career as a smoke jumper and hunting guide. By 1983, Jim and Holly decided to move to New Meadows where they S -t C2 Y NeW5 established the Salmon Meadows Lodge — Warren Outfitters hunting guide business. Through the hunting guide busi- ness, Jim wasted no time becoming involved in the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association (IOGA), and quickly established himself as a good listener and reasoned voice. Begin- ning in 1988, Jim served two terms on the board of directors, was elected vice president in 1992, and became president of the guides association in 1993. Jim was very much at home in the back country. He practiced what he preached when it came to respon- sible, shared use of our public lands and waters. He knew, understood, and respected the role of fire in the eco- system. His leadership will be greatly missed. Jim is survived by his beloved wife, Holly, daughter, Ginny, 11, and son, Nathan, 7, of New Meadows. He is also survived by his parents, Will and Mary-Alice of Carmichael, Calif.; a brother, Wally of Vancouver, Wash.; and a sister, Loretta Beecher of Nampa. The family suggests that memori- als may be made to the IOGA Educa- tional Trust Fund for Ginny and Nathan Thrash at (208) 342 -1438, or to the Smokejumpers Trust Fund, West One Bank, Account No. 11000 219 6204. Jiti1 Y I9(?y James Robert Thrash New Meadows James Robert Thrash, 44, of New Meadows, died Wednesday, July 6, 1994, at Glenwood Springs, Colo. — doing what he loved best. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 12, at the New Meadows Cemetery. The Rev. Dr. Stan Tate of Moscow will officiate. Arrangements are under direction of the Heikkila Funeral Chapel, McCall. Jim was born Aug. 23, 1949, at Sacramento, Calif. He grew up in Phoenix, Ariz., and graduated from Cortez High School in 1967. He attended Pasadena College on a baseball scholarship, and received his bachelor's degree in Spanish and history. While in Pasadena, Calif., he met Holly E. Kliewer of Shafter, Calif. They were married in May of 1973 at Bakersfield, Calif. In 1974, Jim and Holly moved to Nampa, Idaho. He taught social studies and Spanish while coach- ing the varsity baseball team at Middleton High School for four years. Both Jim and Holly began their work for the U.S. Forest Service in 1979 when they moved to McCall. It was in 1981 that Jim began his career as a smoke jumper and hunting guide. By 1983, Jim and Holly decided to move to New Meadows where they established the Salmon Meadows Lodge — Warren Out- fitters hunting guide business. Through the hunting guide business, Jim wasted no time be- coming involved in the Idaho Out- fitters and Guides Association (IOGA), and quickly established himself as a good listener and reasoned voice. Beginning in 1988, Jim served two terms on the board of directors, was elect- ed vice president in 1992, and became president in 1993. Jim was very much at home in the back country. He practiced what he preached when it came to responsible, shared use of our public lands and waters. He knew, understood, and respected the role of fire in the ecosystem. His leadership will be greatly missed. Jim is survived by his beloved wife, Holly, daughter, Ginny (11), and son, Nathan (7) of New Mead- ows. He is also survived by his parents, Will and Mary -Alice of Carmichael, Calif.; brother, Wally of Vancouver, Wash.; and sister, Loretta Beecher of Nampa. The family suggests that me- morials may be made to the IOGA Educational Trust Fund for Ginny and Nathan Thrash at (208) 342- 1438, or to the Smoke Jumpers Trust Fund, West One Bank, Ac- count ##11000 219 620.4. 400 say goodbye to smoke jumper New Meadows firefighter `loved the outdoors. It was all he was' By Kim Eckart The Idaho Statesman NEW MEADOWS — An Idaho smoke jumper was buried Tuesday amid the moun- tains and forests that had set the scene for his life. Alongside the casket that held the re- mains of 44- year -old Jim Thrash were the symbols of his life: his family, his smoke jumper helmet and his baseball card col- lection. "Jim belonged to the mountains. He loved the outdoors. It was all he was," said Rich Nieto, a McCall smoke jumper who knew Thrash for 8 years. "It's very hard, that something like this would happen to such a sharp person." Thrash, who also worked as an outfitter and guide, was one of two McCall smoke jumpers who died July 6 in the Storm King Mountain fire near Glenwood Springs, Colo. The other, 30- year -old Roger Roth, will be buried today in L'Anse, Mich. The two were among the 14 firefighters who died in the lightning - sparked blaze. A bright summer sun warmed the crowd of almost 400 at the Meadows Valley Ceme- tery, where spruce trees blanket the sur- rounding mountains and farmhouses dot the landscape. About 60 of the 70 smoke jumpers stationed at the McCall base were there. So were past and present smoke jumpers from around the West. The crowd remained silent. Several people occasionally embraced each other. That large turnout, smoke jumpers ex- plained, represents the brotherhood that unites their lives. "Bros," as they refer to their elite group of 400 nationwide, look out for others just as much as, if not more than, they look out for themselves. "The thing about this job is the camarade- rie and the danger factor," Nieto said as he stared at the gravesite. "You can walk into a bar anywhere and talk to a smoke jumper who jumped 30 years ago, and he'll buy you a beer. It's the people." "This didn't just affect McCall. Everybody shared in the hurt and the pain," added Nieto, who was one of the first smoke jumpers on the scene to search for the missing firefighters last week. Smoke jumper Greg Beck read letters from other firefighters and gave an emotion- al eulogy, describing Thrash's devotion to his wife, Holly, and children, Ginny, 11, and Nathan, 7. He had three loves, Beck said: family, friends and the land. Thrash's wife and children declined to speak to reporters Tuesday. Thrash's broth- er, Wally, 51, said Jim decided to live in Idaho after his first visit more than 20 years ago. Jim wanted to be close to the outdoors, he said. Being an outfitter and a smoke 'jumper were two ways of doing that. "He'd rather be outside than inside any Photos by Chris Butler /The Idaho Statesman Mourners embrace in front of the casket of smoke jumper Jim Thrash, 44. after Tuesday's time," Wally Thrash said tnougniauuy. During the service, Ginny Thrash, dressed in a flowered shirt and shorts, with her hair in a braid, approached the podium with a small piece of paper. She took a breath and carefully read the poem she had written, dedicated to the love of the wilderness she shared with her father. Never wavering, she concluded, "I think you'll agree, that the woods are the place, for my dad and me." Hats belonging to Jim Thrash hang below his portrait at his funeral on Tuesday. The last time smoke jumpers died in a fire was in 1949, when 12 were killed by the Mann Gulch Fire north of Helena, Mont. Hat belonging to dead firefighte- disappears at sho Display was meant to honor Idahoan who died in blaze By Karen Bossick The Idaho Statesman New Meadows Smokejumper Jim Thrash was a man of many hats. Now one of those hats is missing. A spokesman for the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Associa- tion thinks a black cowboy hat that belonged to the late smoke - jumper may have been stolen from a tribute display set up at the association's fall meeting at the Red Lion Hotel- Riverside in Garden City. The hat sported a hatband and four or five smokejumper pins awarded to Thrash for his fire~ fighting achievements. "Jim had many hats, but this was the hat he wore a lot, and the jumper pins mean a lot," his widow, Holly Thrash, said. "I suppose they're replaceable, but it wouldn't be the same." The hat turned up missing dur- ing the asso- ciation meet- ing, which ; took place ° Dec. 5, said Grant Si- Jim Thrash monds, executive director of the outfitters group and a friend of Thrash's. Thrash was one of 14 fire- fighters killed July 6 while fighting a wildfire on Storm King Mountain near Glenwood Springs, Colo. Other sr ke- jumpers said they beli ,d Thrash was trying to help mj-kr•s escape the holocaust when he died. W Before his death, Thrash had a dual career, working three months each year as a smae- jumper and nine months as a big -game outfitter. These hats were displayed at Jim Thrash's funeral. He was well respected as a common -sense voice on issaies, such as wilderness and Fish;dnd Game operations, Simonds said. "Even though he wore primar- ily a cowboy hat, he was well - respected within the cons=a- tion community," Simonds said. The Idaho Outfitters end Guides'Association made a Aiib- ute to Thrash, who had 19een association president, at its De- cember meeting. The display, in the foyer of the Red Lion Hotel- Riverside ball- room, included several ofIthe many hats Thrash used to wear. The Associated Press Among them: his L.A. Dodgers baseball' cap, a smokejumper hat, Idaho Outfitters and Guirtos Association cap and the black cowboy hat that he wore while guiding big game hunters for the past five years. The hat was displayed at the graveside ceremony for the smokejumper last summer„ in New Meadows. "I can't tell you how I felt when we learned it was mm- ing," Simonds said. "It's a part of family history." Holly Thrash of New Meadows, left, comforts her children, Ginny and Nathan, last Thursday as the family visited the site near Glenwood Springs, Colo., where Smokejumper Jim Thrash died a year before. The Thrash family joined other relatives of 14 firefighters who died in the South Canyon Fire on July 6, 1994, in retracing the final steps taken by the fallen men and women. Memorials to the victims of the blaze were dedicated as well. Also killed in the fire was McCall -based Smokejumper Roger Roth, whose family is from Michigan. Photo by Casey A. Cass, Glenwood Post