As a boy, newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had his sights set on a different position -- fire chief.
"...My dad was a firefighter. He was an assistant chief in the Fire Department in my hometown of Shreveport..." Johnson told colleagues in his first address in his new role.
"On Sept. 17, 1984, when I was 12 years old, he was critically burned and permanently disabled in the line-of-duty. All I ever wanted to be when I grew up was the chief of the fire department in Shreveport.
But after the explosion on that fateful day, he nearly died. It was a long road back and It’s changed all of our life trajectories."
Johnson said his father lived with pain for the rest of his life. "I lost my dad to cancer three days before I got elected to Congress..."
He added that his father was incredibly proud of him and his decision to go into politics.
"This is a beautiful country. It’s the beauty of America that allows a firefighter’s kid like me to come here and serve in this sacred chamber..."
