[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 102 (Monday, July 27, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H6459-H6485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE MEMORY OF DETECTIVE JOHN MICHAEL GIBSON AND PRIVATE FIRST 
  CLASS JACOB JOSEPH CHESTNUT OF THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE FOR 
THEIR SELFLESS ACTS OF HEROISM AT THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL ON JULY 24, 
                                  1998

  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I offer a concurrent resolution (H. Con. 
Res. 311) honoring the memory of Detective John Michael Gibson and 
Private First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut of the United States Capitol 
Police for their selfless acts of heroism at the United States Capitol 
on July 24, 1998, and ask unanimous consent for its immediate 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution.
  The Clerk read the concurrent resolution, as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 311

       Whereas the Capitol is the people's house, and, as such, it 
     has always been and will remain open to the public;
       Whereas millions of people visit the Capitol each year to 
     observe and study the workings of the democratic process;
       Whereas the Capitol is the most recognizable symbol of 
     liberty and democracy throughout the world and those who 
     guard the Capitol guard our freedom;
       Whereas Private First Class Jacob ``J.J.'' Chestnut and 
     Detective John Michael Gibson sacrificed their lives to 
     protect the lives of hundreds of tourists, staff, and Members 
     of Congress;
       Whereas if not for the quick and courageous action of those 
     officers, many innocent people would likely have been injured 
     or killed;
       Whereas through their selfless acts, Detective Gibson and 
     Private First Class Chestnut underscored the courage, honor, 
     and dedication shown daily by every member of the United 
     States Capitol Police and every law enforcement officer;
       Whereas Private First Class Chestnut, a Vietnam veteran who 
     spent 20 years in the Air Force, was an 18-year veteran of 
     the Capitol Police, and was married to Wen Ling and had five 
     children, Joseph, Janece, Janet, Karen and William;
       Whereas Detective Gibson, assigned as Rep. Tom DeLay's 
     bodyguard for the last

[[Page H6460]]

     three years, was an 18-year veteran of the Capitol Police, 
     and was married to Evelyn and had three children, Kristen, 
     John and Daniel;
       Whereas Private First Class Chestnut and Detective Gibson 
     were the first United States Capitol Police officers ever 
     killed in the line of duty;
       Whereas Private First Class Chestnut and Detective Gibson, 
     and all those who helped apprehend the gunman, assist the 
     injured, and evacuate the building, are true heroes of 
     democracy, and every American owes them a deep debt of 
     gratitude: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That--
       (1) Congress hereby honors the memory of Detective John 
     Michael Gibson and Private First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut 
     of the United States Capitol Police for the selfless acts of 
     heroism they displayed on July 24, 1998, in sacrificing their 
     lives in the line of duty so that others might live; and
       (2) when the House of Representatives adjourns on this date 
     and when the Senate adjourns or recesses on this date, they 
     shall do so out of respect to the memory of Detective John 
     Michael Gibson and Private First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut.

  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
concurrent resolution be debatable for 2 hours and 30 minutes, equally 
divided and controlled by myself or my designee and the minority leader 
or his designee.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrich) is 
recognized for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me first thank everyone who rose to their duty or 
went beyond their duty in the last few days: the Capitol Police, the 
various emergency teams, the medical centers, the Washington 
Metropolitan Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, staffs here 
in the Congress, Members of the House and Senate.
  An awful lot of people, including, let me say, the visitors to the 
Capitol, an awful lot of people responded in a human way to a human 
need. For myself, I particularly want to thank Senator Connie Mack, who 
voluntarily called and went around with me on Friday night to visit the 
family of officer J.J. Chestnut and the family of John Gibson, and also 
to visit the family of the visitor that had been injured, Angela 
Dickerson, and her family, who were visitors to the Capitol.
  Because I think had every American been able to visit those families 
in this time of shock, of pain, of loss, and to have seen the courage, 
the dedication, the pride that the families felt, I think it was a very 
humbling experience. I know that for me and for them, it was enriched 
by Senator Mack taking the time to be with them, to express his concern 
on behalf of the entire Senate.
  Let me also say that I have been very grateful to Senator Lott for 
responding again and again, and for Senator Daschle, and to the 
minority leader, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), and the 
majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), because together 
we have made a series of decisions that are without precedent, because 
frankly, this is an event without precedent.
  In all the history of the United States, no one had ever been killed 
defending the Capitol. In all the history of the Capitol Police, never 
before had officers been killed in the line of duty.
  I believe that it drove home to all of us, certainly to me and those 
Members I have talked to, to the staffs I have talked to, how real and 
how serious the process of security is, and how much we are a Capitol 
Hill family; that the larger family of freedom has within it a smaller 
family of individuals who work together every day.
  In a few minutes, the majority whip, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
DeLay) will talk, and he will talk from the heart about Detective John 
Gibson. But I was very struck, both that Mrs. DeLay said to me when I 
called to chat with her that John Gibson had become like family because 
they are so close; and then when I went out to the hospital, Mrs. 
Gibson, Evelyn, said how proud John Gibson was to have worked with the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Tom DeLay), and how much he enjoyed his 
assignment; how close they had become.
  To further drive home how much a family this is, I learned later that 
Evelyn Gibson is the niece of the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Joe 
Moakley), so it becomes an ever tighter and more human tying together 
of families.
  Let me also thank President Clinton, who responded immediately with 
concern on Friday afternoon; who on Saturday helped the Nation come to 
grips with this tragedy; and who has been extraordinarily cooperative 
in making arrangements for Arlington Cemetery and in agreeing to be at 
the memorial service tomorrow.
  When I talked with staff members, and I was with the various staff 
members who had been in the whip's office at the time that the Capitol 
was attacked, at the time that Detective Gibson gave his life saving 
their lives, I think anybody who talked with them and heard from those 
staff their feelings, their sense of the degree to which John Gibson 
rose to the occasion, the degree to which he immediately told them to 
protect themselves, told them to be safe, the degree to which he then 
literally placed his body between danger and innocent people, cannot 
help but be moved by this level of dedication.
  If you had talked to the visitor who was standing next to Officer 
J.J. Chestnut when he was killed and you learned that, literally, 
Officer Chestnut was in the process of giving directions to the subway 
to help visitors to the Capitol, and then you learn that his partner 
was a few feet away because he was getting a wheelchair to help other 
visitors, it reminded you that they are both our protectors and our 
ambassadors, and how much they do to make this Capitol a better place, 
and how tragic their deaths are.
  Let me also thank all of the visitors who Marianne and I saw on 
Saturday when we walked over to the Capitol. Because of their 
commitment, the visitors have said it is important not to let madmen or 
terrorists frighten us away from freedom; it is important to come to 
our House, the people's House, to our building, the people's building. 
Tourists were there as an act of patriotism, not just to visit in the 
normal sense but to deliberately go there the day after the shootings 
to say that they were going to show their solidarity, and I was moved 
to tears walking up the main steps and seeing a set of flowers that had 
already been there at 9:30 that morning, that had wrapped around it, 
``To our heroes who save our freedom.'' I think no person who has a 
heart could have passed those flowers without having tears come to 
their eyes, because they captured it.
  These two men are genuine heroes. They did their job. The system 
worked but at terrible personal cost. We are safe because of their 
sacrifice.
  It is totally appropriate that we have suspended any other business 
for today in honor of their memory. It is totally appropriate that for 
the first time in history, two officers will be lying in honor in the 
Rotunda tomorrow. It is totally appropriate that we recognize them both 
for what they have done here at the Capitol and for the reminder that 
safety and freedom come at a very human cost; that there are uniformed 
personnel in the police, in the Border Patrol, in the military, who 
even as I speak are putting their lives on the line in order that this 
civilization can continue.
  I want to say to Officer Chestnut's family, to Wen Ling, his wife, to 
Joseph, Janece, Janet, Karen and William, that you can be very, very 
proud of your father. He served his country in the Air Force and he 
served his country in the Capitol Police. He was a man I saw every day, 
as did most Members of the leadership, because that was the door we 
went in and out of every day. He was always courteous. He was always 
firm. He was always disciplined. He always did his job. He will be very 
sadly missed, but your family can be proud that your father is a 
genuine hero.
  Let me say to Detective John Gibson's family, to his wife Evelyn and 
to his three children, Kristen and John and Daniel, that Detective 
Gibson had made a real mark here. At one point he had helped me a 
number of years ago. Then he was assigned to help the whip, Tom DeLay. 
He was an active supporter of Heroes, which is a nationwide program 
which helps families of officers who are killed in the line of duty. He 
was a man dedicated to law enforcement and a man who for 18 years had 
served this Capitol and this country very well.

[[Page H6461]]

  While you cannot replace him, I hope that your memory of him as a 
genuine hero is a memory that will bring you some warmth in these 
difficult times.
  I think I speak for every Member of the House and Senate and for 
every staff person who works here in saying to these two families that 
our hearts go out to you; that we were proud to announce on Saturday 
the establishment of a memorial trust fund at the Capitol Police; that 
we believe that every citizen who wants to have an opportunity to 
participate should have that opportunity and that these families 
deserve an outpouring of concern and of affection because they have 
literally given the highest full dedication to their country that 
anyone can give.

                              {time}  1715

  We will continue to protect the Capitol and to protect freedom. We 
will not allow terrorists or madmen to block this from being the 
People's House and the People's building. We recognize with sadness and 
a clearer sense of duty just how vital the role is of the Capitol 
Police, and I believe every citizen who comes to this building will, 
for many years to come, recognize that the men and women who are 
protecting this building are truly doing a vital job if freedom is to 
survive.
  Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to the 
distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the majority whip.
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate those words. I really 
want to thank the Speaker and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. 
Gephardt), the minority leader; the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Bonior), the minority whip; the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), the 
majority leader; and the majority leader in the Senate, Senator Lott; 
and the minority leader of the Senate, Senator Daschle; for quickly 
understanding the import of what happened on Friday around 3:40 p.m. 
and how important it is to the Nation, as well as to the Capitol 
community, to honor these two heroes.
  They understood the importance, understood how we needed to come 
together and figure out some way to honor them, and that is why they 
will lie in honor tomorrow in the Rotunda. That is why I greatly 
appreciate the President understanding how important this is to the 
Capitol community; and he just announced that, even though Detective 
Gibson is not a veteran, he will be allowed to be buried in Arlington 
Cemetery. I greatly appreciate that, and the families of Officer 
Chestnut and Detective Gibson greatly appreciate that.
  A little housekeeping, I understand that even if we run out of time 
this evening, those Members that wish to speak, who could not speak 
tonight, will be able to speak in honor of these gentlemen tomorrow.
  Mr. Speaker, we dedicate this resolution to honor the memory of 
Detective John Michael Gibson and Officer Jacob Joseph Chestnut. And 
tomorrow, as I have said, we must live our lives knowing that this 
country was a better place because of the dedication and the courage of 
these two men.
  It is, after all, the lives of these two men that we celebrate today. 
Both were family men who loved their jobs and loved their country. Both 
gave their lives defending the United States, the Capitol, and the 
people who either worked here or visited here.
  John Gibson was especially close to my staff and to me and my family, 
as everyone knows. And as I have said before, John was part of my 
family and in many ways he was and is our guardian angel.
  There are so many stories to talk about John. I have said already 
probably anything and everything I could say, so I decided to take this 
time not for me to speak about John, but to allow my staff to speak 
about John. This is the day I asked my staff, anyone who wanted to say 
something about John, to put it in words; and if I may, I will take a 
little time so that people understand how important John Gibson and 
J.J. Chestnut were to our family.
  Tony Rudy said that, ``My fondest memory of John is when we used to 
rush to get the 4 o'clock mail and try to get the Boston Herald and the 
Boston Globe. We would talk UMass hoops and about the Bruins. He worked 
very hard to get Tom to understand and enjoy hockey.''
  John Russell said, ``Officer Chestnut would scold me whenever I 
walked past him entering the building after I had a cigarette outside, 
and said it was his mission to get me to quit and be as healthy as he 
was.''
  Frank Maguire, ``With both John and I being Irish Catholic with a 
Massachusetts heritage, we exchanged family stories about growing up 
and found many similarities that we could laugh about. I had described 
John to my wife as my vision of what a Catholic priest would be like 
who was allowed to marry and raise a family. I will never forget that 
mental image of John Gibson.
  ``He was from a bygone era, one where people actually stopped and 
took time to learn about you as a person and your family, before 
focusing on what function you were to perform in the office.''
  John Feehery said, ``I remember feeling a real sense of security 
every time I saw Officer Chestnut. You could tell he took real pride in 
his work and who he was as a police officer.''
  Mary Ellen Wright, the dear girl that saw John shot, says, ``When you 
remember John, remember that grin. His grin that could melt your heart 
or tell you that you had done wrong with just one look.
  ``When you remember John, remember that twinkle in his eye. It was 
often a twinkle of mystery and sometimes a mischievous twinkle, but 
always a twinkle of compassion, a twinkle of love.
  ``When you remember John, remember his honesty, his willingness to 
express his opinions, whether you agreed with him or not. Yes, that was 
John. He always spoke from his heart.
  ``When you remember John, remember his outstanding character, his 
commitment to his family, his commitment to his friends, to his work, 
and his overall commitment to excellence in all of his pursuits.
  ``When you remember John, consider yourself lucky to have crossed 
paths with such a fine man. Remember John with a smile. Cherish the 
precious moments, the precious memories, of which there are many. 
Everyone knows what a hero is, the many qualities that define such a 
unique person. John Gibson is not only a hero, but an angel. He was our 
angel on earth and is now our angel in heaven.''
  Lindsey Darrah, who was just 10 feet from John, her desk 10 feet from 
John, says, ``Officer Chestnut, the watchdog. He was the officer that 
recognized us as staff, but regardless, made us show our IDs. He was 
the officer that was never quite convinced the silver tins were in fact 
filled with Popeye's Fried Chicken. Oftentimes, we would bring in five 
or six loads from the car. Yes, he not only made us open every single 
tin to see what was inside, but then he would make us put the chicken 
on the conveyor belt just to make sure it was really and truly that 
chicken from Popeye's. You can imagine that we were always highly 
annoyed with sweet Officer Chestnut, and I am sure he knew it. But he 
was just doing his job, and he would say so and we would all laugh 
every time.''
  Joe Connolly, who is the young man who sat just across the desk from 
John and who John, on hearing the shots being fired, knew that it was 
coming our way and told Joe to get under his desk. The shooter fell 
right beside Joe as John took him down. Joe says, ``I just want people 
to realize how close everyone in our office really is. Most people may 
think, oh, he was just a cop. But it was definitely more than that, 
especially to me. He saved my immediate life, and I will never have a 
chance to personally thank him.''
  Autumn Hanna says, ``I remember about a month after I started working 
here, I had to staff a large televised event with Mr. DeLay. I was 
incredibly nervous and John could tell. He walked into the hotel 
ballroom with me right behind Mr. DeLay, put his arm around me and 
whispered in my ear, 'Don't worry, I'll stay with you.'
  ``He stood right next to me throughout the evening and drove me home 
afterwards. His action that night reveals the dynamic of the 
relationship John had with all the Whip staff. He was our protector, a 
reassuring presence in the midst of the chaos and the confusion we 
encountered in our work days and nights here at the Capitol.
  ``He was that in his last moment. He gave his life in the midst of 
chaos and

[[Page H6462]]

confusion. He gave his life protecting us, and I am still reassured by 
his presence. Our guardian is now in heaven instead of at the back 
door, but he will always be with us.''
  Deana Funderburk said, ``Last year when I was working in the 
scheduling department of the Whip office, Mother Theresa visited the 
Capitol. Congressman DeLay, accompanied by John Gibson, went to the 
Joint Session in the Rotunda to welcome her. Before Congressman DeLay 
and John left the office, John asked me if I was going to be able to 
go. I unfortunately was not able to attend.

  ``The ceremony commenced and in remembrance of that momentous event, 
each person in attendance was given a pendant with an engraving of the 
Virgin Mary on it. After the welcoming ceremony was finished, John came 
up to my desk and held out his hand in a fist. He said that since I was 
not able to attend, he wanted me to have his special pendant.
  ``I cannot express how much that gesture meant to me, and how 
generous and kind a man he was. I still have that pendant which I will 
always treasure.''
  Pamela Mattox says, ``In church yesterday, I looked at the crucifix 
and for the first time truly understood the sacrifice of giving up 
one's own life for others. That is what John Gibson did for all of us 
in the Whip office. We lived because he cared enough to protect us.
  ``But in reflection, every day he did more than that. His way of life 
exemplified the best of the Golden Rule, at worship, at home, at play, 
and at work.
  ``John Gibson was, in a most unassuming way, simply the best. We have 
lost someone precious and John is now with the Lord. He was very much 
needed by all of us and greatly loved. We thank you for allowing him to 
enlighten our lives and will forever miss him.
  ``John, thank you for making the world a far better place and leaving 
us with so many special memories.''
  Mr. Speaker, there are others on my staff who would like to say 
things, but maybe tomorrow we can put that in the Record. These are 
some of the things that my staff wanted to express about Officer 
Chestnut and Detective Gibson.
  So, Mr. Speaker, this gives a sense of the kind of men they were and 
how tragic it is that they have been taken away from us. The entire 
Whip staff wants to send its condolences and prayers to the Gibson and 
Chestnut families and to the community, the Capitol community here. We 
all feel a great, great loss. We will always be grateful for their 
sacrifice.
  Mr. Speaker, at a later date, hopefully we can come back and honor 
those Capitol Police that also were heroes and lived, those that were 
involved in the incident and did some very heroic things. They also 
deserve to be honored.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank the Speaker of the 
House and the majority leader and the majority whip and all of the 
Members of the House who today with one voice bring this resolution in 
memory and to honor the memory of these two great officers, Officer 
Chestnut and Officer Gibson.
  On Friday, at 3:40 or so in the afternoon, the family of the People's 
House was attacked by a deranged killer. We rise today in anguish and 
in real sorrow and devastation at the loss that occurred here in our 
House of Representatives and our Capitol.

                              {time}  1730

  But our loss is not nearly the loss that is felt by these dear 
families.
  On Saturday, I had the opportunity to go to the House of Officer 
Gibson and to meet his wife and his children. Imagine putting yourself 
into the shoes of his wife who has lost her husband of many years 
without even so much as the opportunity to say goodbye. Imagine putting 
yourself into the shoes of a 13-year-old or a 15-year-old who adored 
your father and now he is gone. Their loss is unimaginable, 
unfathomable and impossible to understand.
  I hugged his wife and told her how sorry all of us are and how much 
we loved them and cared for them. And I told them that even though they 
had lost their father, that in a real sense they now have 435 
additional fathers and mothers, and that we will never, ever forget and 
we will never, ever let them down.
  We will be there for them, for Officer Gibson's children and wife, 
Officer Chestnut's wife and children. I know that we will all be there 
to see that the injury that they have sustained, while it can never be 
taken back, while the loss can never be restored, that all of us 
together, functioning as a family, will be certain that they will not 
be injured further and, to the extent we can, we will love them 
forever.
  Supreme Court Justice Brandeis, one of the greatest justices in our 
Nation's history, said that courage is the secret of liberty. That 
courage that Justice Brandeis was talking about is usually quiet and 
unheralded and unnoticed. But today we stand to recognize the public 
acts of courage of two brave human beings who literally gave their 
lives in their line of duty and so that others could live.
  They lost their lives by the narrowest of margins. They could have 
been at another door. They could have been at another place. They could 
have been on another shift. But it is precisely that margin, measured 
out again and again on battlefields far, far from this place, on 
streets close to here, and last week only steps from where we stand, 
that marks out democracy from the darkness.
  These two good men, strong and decent, rank in the legion of honor of 
those who died so that liberty may live on in the lives of others. They 
remind us of the lesson of all of our history, that the survival and 
success of a free society depends far less on grand speeches than on 
countless individual acts of duty and courage.
  The ultimate sacrifice of J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson literally 
saved the lives of countless Members of our congressional family and 
countless numbers of visitors who pass through these halls. The scope 
of this tragedy could have been so much worse and touched so many more 
lives, had they not automatically responded so professionally and 
expertly to the horrible threat, the horrible violence which invaded 
this citadel of democracy.
  The tragic and senseless event was a horrible reminder that our 
liberty and the liberty of all Americans faces a silent threat from the 
dark side of human nature. Those of us who spend so much of our lives 
in this public place often forget about the reality, the daily reality 
of this threat. But the men and women of the Capitol Police never 
forget. They are our guardians, not just of offices and officials, but 
of our city on the hill, the place that is the pride of our government 
and our country and the heart of our self-government. They allow the 
business of democracy to thrive, open to the citizens to whom it 
belongs.
  We are here today to honor the fallen officers, but we also have to 
take this opportunity to salute the quiet courage of all the officers 
of the Capitol Police who come to work each day without notice, without 
heralding, without publicity, who get up and put their uniform on, pin 
their badge on and come into this place and face the threat of 
immediate death and violence. They are the salt of the earth. They are 
the reason our democracy can live, and they should be honored and they 
should be held up for all of our public to see and to notice today and 
always.
  The members of the force believe in this great House. They are 
dedicated to working hard to protect the Members, the staff and, yes, 
the visitors who pass through here every day. And they do their job 
well, and they do it professionally. And they do it with courtesy.
  As the Speaker said, Officer Chestnut was writing out directions for 
visitors to be able to get through the building. Another officer who 
was involved was also off getting a wheelchair. They have not just been 
guardians and policemen. They have been ambassadors of goodwill to the 
public which come to this building and want to understand what is 
happening here. Until a tragedy strikes, they never get the publicity 
or the attention they deserve for making this institution work and 
keeping it free and strong every day, every minute of every day and 
night.
  Today we honor their sacrifice and their service to this Nation and 
to all of us.
  I have the honor of being served also by a plainclothes officer, Ed 
Pence. Until Friday, I guess I never understood or was particularly 
conscious of the threat that he has faced every day over the last 9 
years. I want to thank

[[Page H6463]]

him. I want to thank his family. I want to thank all the officers and 
all of their families for their brave and dedicated service.
  It is easy for us on the other side of the thin blue line to forget 
that law enforcement is the most dangerous job in our country, but it 
is a fact that our officers and especially their families are reminded 
of every day. So we pay tribute to these brave officers who gave their 
lives in defense of all of us and for our liberty. As we especially 
honor their families, we especially honor their families who will never 
be made whole no matter what we say or what we do in this place.
  To those families we offer our prayers, we offer our gratitude. We 
cannot quench your sorrow. We can share it with you. We can stand in 
your shoes. We can imagine your hurt. We can imagine your anguish. We 
can pledge that you will be made whole, as best human beings can make 
you whole. We will never forget what your fathers did. They have made 
the ultimate sacrifice, and we will never forget it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Bonior), the minority whip.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my leader and the Speaker and the 
distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay).
  Today we come together to mourn two fallen heroes, John Gibson and 
Jacob Chestnut. They laid down their lives so that others might live 
and in defense of all this Capitol represents. Their heroism reminds 
us, once again, of the great sacrifices people have made so that our 
democracy might endure.
  We honor their memories today, just as they honored our democracy 
with years of dedication, hard work and bravery.
  Many people take for granted the fine work the Capitol Police do 
under extraordinary circumstances. Every day, as the Speaker and as the 
leader and as Mr. DeLay have said, they are responsible for protecting 
hundreds of Members of Congress, thousands of staff, tens of thousands 
of tourists who come to visit Capitol Hill. They deal with people from 
all walks of life, the young, the old, from just about every country on 
earth, people on vacation and those in a hurry, and they do it with 
efficiency, with friendliness, with courtesy and with professionalism. 
It is a difficult job but they do it with pride and dignity.
  Few of us ever pause to ponder how much courage they summon every 
single day. We saw just how much courage on Friday and how quickly and 
how bravely they reacted to save the lives of those around them.
  All of us owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude, and none of us 
will ever forget the sacrifice of John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut. Our 
hearts go out to their families, Jacob's wife, Wen, and their children, 
Joseph, Janece, Janet and Karen and William. And John's wife, Evelyn, 
and their children, Kristen, John and Daniel. Our thoughts and prayers 
are with you.
  We have been touched by the tremendous outpouring of emotion from the 
American people, the flowers on the Capitol steps, the tears of sadness 
and the visitors who have returned to their Capitol in reverence and 
mourning. The heroism of these two officers has stirred the soul of our 
Nation.
  To people all over the world, this Capitol is the home of freedom. 
John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut gave their lives protecting it and all 
that it represents. Nothing we say today can ease the grief or bring 
them back. But we can honor their memory, and we can recommit ourselves 
to the work of democracy for which they died.
  On a personal note, I had, as the other leaders did, because we, as 
has been mentioned, we come and we leave by that door, and over the 
years I have gotten to know Jacob Chestnut. He was a wonderful man. He 
had a bearing that represented everything that was right about this 
institution. He exuded dignity. If there was a word that captured him, 
it was his enormous dignity, his bearing.

                              {time}  1745

  He was, as we have heard, always kind to those who came into this 
building; he smiled when proper, but always giving the signal to those 
who entered that they were entering the citadel of democracy. He was a 
sweet man, a very gentle man. Many a night when we would work late and 
I would come down and he would be the only one at the door and it was 
closed to the visitors, we had a chance to chat, especially when my 
wife Judy was still gathering things up in the office.
  He was a Vietnam veteran, as the Speaker mentioned. He gave 20 years 
of service to his country. We shared experiences serving in the Air 
Force, he as a military police and I as a cook. You would have to know 
something about the cooks and the military police to understand that 
relationship. But it was special.
  He talked about his family, whom he loved enormously. He was a 
gardener, a good gardener who provided peppers and cucumbers and squash 
to the neighbors on a regular basis.
  I was watching a clip on television the other night of a neighbor who 
talked so genuinely about him and what a wonderful, wonderful decent 
man he was. He was always volunteering to do work for his neighbors, 
mow their lawn, take care of things that needed to be taken care of in 
the neighborhood. He was described as the best husband and the best 
father you could think of. If you knew him, and I wish I knew him 
better, but leaving the Capitol each night for maybe 7, 8, or 9 years, 
you get to know someone and you engage in conversation, you knew that 
he, like John Gibson, had many friends, many friends.
  I would like to just end with some words by Wallace Stegner. Wallace 
Stegner is a writer from the West, and he talked about friendship, and 
he said this:

       Friendship is a relationship that has no formal shape. 
     There are no rules or obligations or bonds as in marriage or 
     the family. It is held together by neither law nor property 
     nor blood. There is no glue in it but mutual liking. It is 
     therefore rare.

  These two fine people were not only liked, they were loved by many, 
many people. We will miss them. We will miss their duty to their work, 
their love of their family, their love of this institution. We thank 
them for their service. They will remain forever in our hearts.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), the chief deputy whip.
  Mr. HASTERT. I thank the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Speaker. I want to 
express my condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the families of our 
fallen heroes, J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson. I knew both these men and 
am proud to be able to call them friends.
  I came to know J.J. Chestnut through his warm smile and his kind 
words and upbeat personality. Every afternoon and then later in the 
evening, he would greet me at his guard post and he would say, ``Hello, 
Congressman Hastert,'' and I would say, ``Hello, Officer Chestnut,'' 
and for 4 years, we have developed a camaraderie, an understanding. I 
have a great deal of respect for him.
  When we brought guests into the Capitol, my son and others, I would 
always make sure that I introduced them to Officer Chestnut. Because I 
thought that was the best that we could show of people who are here, 
who care about and are not always in the limelight, that care about 
this place, that care about the substance and the pride that this 
Capitol can show and the parts that many, many people play in keeping 
it a place of respect and honor. He was a professional certainly in 
every sense of the word.
  As for John, our friendship grew over the many hours and particularly 
the late nights spent in the majority whip office. No matter the 
frantic pace or the pressure of the given moment, I always remember 
John as calm, yet focused, doing his job while we were counting votes 
or conducting whatever congressional business was going on at hand, and 
all the while John seemed to have a cheerful comment for the moment 
that would put folks at ease around him.
  I always remember coming through that door, up until Friday 
afternoon, maybe six or eight or 10 times a day because that is kind of 
the way that I wind my way back from the floor, down the staircase and 
in that side door, and every time I would open the door, John would be 
there, he would look, he would check, see who it was, a cheerful

[[Page H6464]]

hello, but he was always vigilant, always there, something that I took 
for granted.
  It was also something that even when Officer Chestnut would come 
through there and the stature that he would have, you took it for 
granted. Those were people that were there, they were there to protect 
you, and sometimes in your mind, you never think about what could 
happen, or what might happen.
  As many of you already know, this tragedy hits particularly close to 
home. As the chief deputy whip, I work out of that whip's office as do 
a few of my staff. In fact, my staff and my wife were waiting for me to 
return from the floor that day. I can absolutely and positively say 
that were it not for the valor of Officer Chestnut and certainly 
Special Agent John Gibson, the lives of people who are very close to me 
would have been in jeopardy. This tragedy could have been much worse. 
It certainly comes as no surprise that when duty called, Officer 
Chestnut and John Gibson answered. Unfortunately, they and their 
families now must pay the ultimate price. They died so others could 
live.
  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Chestnut's wife Wen and 
his children Joseph, Janece, Janet, Karen and William; and to John's 
wife Evelyn and their children Kristen, John and Daniel. As difficult 
as it is for the Chestnut and the Gibson families coping with this 
loss, I hope that they can take some comfort in knowing that their 
loved one's bravery protected thousands of others in the U.S. Capitol. 
I am not just talking about July 24 but each and every day that they 
put on the badge and went to work. Their actions are evidence that the 
system worked, even though a routine day turned terribly bad. For all 
Americans, we owe a debt of gratitude not only to officer J.J. Chestnut 
and Special Agent John Gibson and their families but to all those who 
proudly wear a uniform in order to defend democracy and fight for our 
freedom. We should honor them, we must remember them, and most of all 
we must thank them. They are heroes and they deserve our most 
appreciative respect.
  I have to say, I think about the things that we are able to do in 
this place from time to time. As an elected Member who serves in this 
people's House, we have some outstanding times, some times when the 
light shines, you can accomplish something, that short span of time, in 
5 or 10 or whatever, however many years a person has as the right or 
the privilege of serving in this House. There are some short times that 
we can do some very great things. We live for those times.
  And then you think of the people who help make this place work. The 
time for Officer Chestnut and John Gibson came on July 24. Their short 
time to excel and do the bravest thing that they could for their 
country and the people who work here, for their families and for the 
ideal of democracy came in just a short period of time. When that 
challenge came, they excelled at that challenge. We could not ask them 
to do any more than they did.
  So, with all our heads held high and respect for those gentlemen, I 
thank them, I thank their families, and we can even be proud of this 
institution.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I said earlier today that this was a sad and 
solemn occasion for us all. Obviously, it is. The discussions have led 
to that conclusion. Some knew these two brave men better than others. 
Let me suggest, however, all of us know their comrades in the defense 
of freedom and defense of our safety and the defense of civil order, 
without which democracy and freedom cannot flourish.
  I see my very close friend on the floor, Curt Weldon from the State 
of Pennsylvania. He and I are honored to cochair the effort we know as 
the Fire Service Caucus. It honors men and women who respond to 
emergency, at time of crisis, not just to fire but to flood and to 
earthquake and to the cat in the tree, all types of emergencies that 
confront us.
  As I sat here thinking of those who had spoken of these two brave 
officers, one who frankly was unable to make an immediate decision 
because the assailant did not give him that time, the other who had to 
make instantaneous decisions and responded in the best traditions, with 
the highest courage of men and women who serve in the police forces of 
our Nation. But as I thought further, each one of them made a decision 
that required courage and commitment to their fellow men and women in 
this country. That was a decision daily, as the minority leader has 
said, to get up, put on the uniform or their plainclothes gear and to 
put on a badge, a badge of honor, a badge of commitment, a badge 
indicating their courage in making that daily decision to defend civil 
order and democracy.
  J.J. Chestnut was not given the opportunity by this assailant to make 
a decision of exactly how to respond. But J.J. Chestnut had already 
made that decision. He was at that door, he was at the perimeter, he 
was at risk voluntarily, placing himself in harm's way. That decision 
was a brave and honorable and courageous decision.
  Detective John Gibson also had made a decision earlier that morning 
to be in harm's way. And when harm came, he was not found wanting. In 
fact, he was found to have the full measure of devotion and courage 
that he had pledged to give, not solely to Tom DeLay, not solely to the 
Congress of the United States, not solely to this building, this 
hallowed citadel of freedom and democracy, perceived by all the world 
to be the center of freedom and justice. He was there to defend that 
very idea, that torch of freedom.
  Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg indicated that we had all, as we have 
all come to honor those two men and their colleagues in the police 
forces of America, one of whom dies every other day in America, it is a 
real risk that they undertake, a knowledgeable risk that they 
undertake. Abraham Lincoln said it well, that we cannot dedicate, we 
cannot consecrate this field beyond that which those two brave men and 
their colleagues have done.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my colleagues in honoring the memory 
of J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson and honoring their decision to show 
the kind of courage and commitment necessary to maintain our democracy, 
our freedom, our civil society.

                              {time}  1800

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Dunn).
  Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, it is my deep honor and privilege to rise 
today on behalf of the people I represent in the Eighth Congressional 
District of Washington State and myself and my family, and really on 
behalf of the Nation, to offer our deep gratitude for the heroism of 
J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson.
  On Friday afternoon Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson 
embodied all that it means to be an American hero. They were ordinary 
people who went to extraordinary lengths to protect and defend freedom 
not just for Members of the large congressional family, but also for 
all Americans. These two brave officers literally laid down their lives 
so that others could live, and for that dedication of courage we are 
eternally grateful.
  Every day in the people's House we are surrounded by the protection 
of the United States Capitol Police. In serving our country, the men 
and women of the police force touch all of us who visit and work in the 
Capitol. They become our friends, they become our colleagues, and of 
course they are our protectors. J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson epitomize 
this dedication of service and commitment to all that we value as good 
in this world.
  Mr. Speaker, I considered J.J. a friend, as did countless Members and 
staff. My office is very near where he stands, and we had shared a few 
words the night before he died as we Members left the Capitol very 
close to midnight, and we talked about how the next day would be a 
little easier, and we did not know that that would be his very last 
night. Nor did I know that the next afternoon, the first shot that I 
heard from behind my closed door was the shot that took J.J.'s life.
  No words we utter here today can help the Chestnut and Gibson 
families begin to heal the wounds they suffer from, but I do want to 
say to each family that as they grieve and seek support from God above, 
a Nation mourns their loss, the congressional family grieves with them 
and we will never forget them.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

[[Page H6465]]

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding this time 
to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I come to praise the two valiant officers who sacrificed 
their lives on Friday, to comfort their families and to thank the 
Capitol Police who daily live up to their reputation as one of the 
finest police departments in the country.
  On Friday, Officer Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson showed 
that the reputation of the Capitol Police for dedicated professionalism 
is fully earned and richly deserved. These two men were part of a 
police force that operates at once like a friendly small town police 
department and a crack security force. It is hard to pull that off, but 
they do it every day.
  Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson were devoted men who were part 
of a splendid force. In FY 1997 there were 286 reported crimes on the 
Capitol grounds, and the Capitol Police made arrests in 252 of them. 
What a record.
  The Capitol Police patrol part of the Capitol Hill community as well. 
In the first 5 months of this year, these dedicated officers made 413 
arrests in the community, up from 258 for the entire previous year.
  Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson did not expect to lose their 
lives, but they clearly were prepared to do so. They knew that they 
were part of a department that protects the highest-profile accessible 
building in the Nation. They knew that this duty put them in harm's 
way. They were prepared to pay the price for this temple of democracy 
and all who visit or work here, and tragically they did. There are no 
words that fit that price.
  May the Chestnut family and the Gibson family know that our hearts go 
out to them and that Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson have a place 
of honor among us no Member has ever attained.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas).
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding this time 
to me.
  Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues know, there are a lot of young people 
in this country who have sung many, many times the last line of our 
National Anthem, and I take the floor primarily to let the Chestnut and 
the Gibson family know that three of my Health Subcommittee staff 
better understand the last phrase of the Star Spangled Banner because 
they were one thin wall away from the jungle, and the separation 
between civilization and the jungle is sometimes one individual.
  That occurred on Friday, and no amount of words that we can say here 
will illustrate more to the young people of this country the deeds that 
are necessary to indeed make sure that we are the land of the free. Ann 
Marie Lynch, Allison Giles, and Bill Walters were in a room, crouched 
in fear, with one person between them and the jungle, and they wanted 
me to come to the floor to thank the Gibson family and to recognize the 
heroics of J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson for making sure that they 
better understood in a moment of terror what sacrifice really means to 
keep us free.
  Mr. Speaker, we all will continue to thank J.J. Chestnut and John 
Gibson, but what we have to remember is that it is not the word, it is 
the deed. When it was necessary, these two individuals paid the highest 
possible sacrifice that one individual can give another to keep them 
free: their lives. We will remember them and honor them.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Wise).
  Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, this building offers a great challenge, and 
that is it is a balance that has to be reached between where the 
people's elected representatives meet and where the people come to view 
their elected representatives and their Nation's heritage. Officer 
Chestnut and Detective Gibson met that test and kept that balance on 
Friday.
  This is a sad and anguishing day. My wife, who has worked on this 
Hill longer than I have, I think, probably summed it up for me as we 
discussed this and thought about our thoughts and our prayers which 
were with the two families. She noted that two wives had lost their 
husbands as their husbands protected many other husbands and wives, and 
likewise children have lost their fathers as their fathers protected 
other children. There are thousands of children from each of our 
districts that come through these halls every day, and they owe their 
safety and protection to men and women like Officer Chestnut and 
Detective Gibson.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no way you can cope with loss like this except 
you try to hang onto the memories. And to the families that we know 
have those strong memories I would just say this: that as you have 
their memories to hang onto, please know that there is a much larger 
family and community that have those memories and they are hanging onto 
them too, and that their fathers and husbands and loved ones, Officer 
Chestnut and Detective Gibson, those memories are strong in all of us, 
and they will live through that. And they live also through the 
democracy that is functioning through the visitors that are in the 
gallery today, through the people that are streaming through this 
Capitol, made safe by the sacrifice of Officers Chestnut and Gibson, 
whom we will remember.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on this solemn occasion I would 
like to join my colleagues and the people of the 11th Congressional 
District of Virginia to pay special tribute to Special Agent John 
Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut who gave their lives on July 24 to 
keep our seat of democracy safe.
  Special Agent Gibson was a resident of my congressional district. It 
is tragic that these brave men were cut down in the prime of their 
lives, but they will never be forgotten for the bravery that they 
displayed, the lives that they saved and the ultimate sacrifice that 
they made. Both men were dedicated 18-year veterans of the U.S. Capitol 
Police Force, and both were devoted to their families, and they will 
certainly be missed by everyone who knew them.
  Special Agent Gibson was much more than a Capitol Police officer, 
however. He was a father, a husband, a sports fan who was beloved and 
respected in his community. He was Santa Claus at Christmas time. He 
was loving to his family, generous to his neighbors loyal to his job.
  Special Agent Gibson will be remembered for all those things, but his 
enduring legacy will be heroism he displayed on that day. With his own 
life in danger, he acted quickly and selflessly to save others. He 
commanded the staff in the whip's office to hide while he faced the 
gunman alone, and he will be remembered as a great hero for sacrificing 
his own life to save the lives of others and for continuing to do his 
duty in the face of great peril. If Special Agent Gibson did not stop 
the gunman, this terrible tragedy would have spread and been even more 
severe.
  Officer Chestnut was an avid vegetable gardener and shared his 
squash, his cucumbers and peppers with his friends and family. He was a 
Vietnam veteran and retired Air Force officer. Only two months before 
retirement, he planned to pursue his hobbies of fishing and golf. It is 
heartbreaking that his plans ended as abruptly and as brutally while 
guarding the interests of the Capitol. And he was known by his 
colleagues for his dedication as a police officer, for following the 
rules of his post.
  I extend my sympathies to the family and friends that these heroes 
left behind, and I know that their wives and children will carry this 
loss with them forever but pray that they will be comforted by the 
gratitude of those that Special Agent Gibson and Officer Chestnut 
protected, and the families could be proud that these men defended the 
Nation's Capitol with bravery and honor.
  A tragedy such as this reminds all of us of how fragile life can be. 
Even at the center of our Nation's democracy we cannot take our 
security for granted. We owe our freedom as Americans to our dedicated 
law enforcement officials and military service officers.
  A tragedy such as this reminds all of us of how fragile life can be. 
Even at the center of our Nation's democracy we cannot take our 
security for granted. We owe our freedom as Americans to our dedicated 
law enforcement officials and our military service members. This 
fragility reminds us to be grateful of the many gifts and freedoms that 
we enjoy, many won really hard-fought. We are fortunate to have had 
Special Agent Gibson and Officer

[[Page H6466]]

Chestnut on the Capitol Police Force who are well trained and loyal to 
their duties. When called upon to put their own safety and life above 
those they were sworn to protect, they did their job, no questions, no 
excuses. They did what they were trained to do. These men exemplified 
the best in law enforcement and the best in America. Their excellent 
work assures that Americans can visit this Capitol in peace and 
security. In death they will continue to serve as genuine heroes and 
role models for their colleagues and for all those who believe in the 
American dream.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Maine (Mr. Baldacci).
  (Mr. BALDACCI asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BALDACCI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the whip for yielding this time to 
me.
  I have to say that when I heard about this at the airport I was 
shocked, as we were leaving on Friday, at what had transpired here. I 
immediately called the Sergeant at Arms Office, who was in a leadership 
meeting, to get a briefing on the casualties and circumstances 
surrounding all of it and thinking that we had just been here a short 
while ago to have this tragedy occur.
  My heart and prayers and sympathies go out to the families of John 
Gibson and Officer J.J. Chestnut, for they made the ultimate sacrifice 
to protect our freedoms and liberty and put their lives on the line, 
and their families will never be able to erase that burden and that 
void in their lives. And I appreciate our House leadership and the 
leadership of Congress and what they are going to do with all of us to 
make sure that as much as we can do we will do for these families and 
that we will never forget.

                              {time}  1815

  I want to commend all of the Capitol Police, and particularly the 
officers that all responded during that circumstance, from all over, 
because I heard from them as they all came here together to shoulder 
and support each other.
  Sometimes we as Members take for granted their esteemed 
professionalism and the caliber of that service that they perform on a 
daily basis. But the Sergeant at Arms Office, the Metropolitan Police, 
and all of the services that huddled together, and how proud I was in 
the response and the timely information that was dispensed to the 
people as to what was taking place.
  It was a very tragic moment in the people's House, but it was a 
moment in which people pulled together, and I know that will be 
something that will be an enduring quality as we all pull together on 
both sides of the aisle throughout America to stand there with these 
families as they have endured the ultimate sacrifice.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf).
  (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for yielding me 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, the entire country was shocked and saddened to learn of 
the terrible tragedy that happened on Friday afternoon, when U.S. 
Capitol Police Special Agent John Gibson and Capitol Police Officer 
Jacob J. Chestnut were killed in the line of duty.
  I want to express my condolences to the families of these two brave 
men. They were both true heroes. They gave their lives to protect the 
lives of the rest of us.
  The Capitol is really like a campus in many respects; people all know 
each other, it is a small community. So when a tragedy like this hits, 
it affects all of us very deeply. There are no words that can 
adequately express the sorrow and the grief that we all feel as a 
community over this terrible loss.
  My dad was a Philadelphia policeman for 20 years, and I know how 
difficult the job can be and the uncertainty that begins each day for 
the officer's family.
  My hearts goes out to the families of Special Agent Gibson and 
Officer Chestnut, and all of the men and women of the Capitol Hill 
Police Department and all of the policemen around the country that give 
their lives. Our heart also goes out to Angela Dickerson, the young 
woman who was wounded during the shooting. We also recognize the trauma 
and the experience by so many others who were there on Friday 
afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Farr).
  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I find it such a privilege to 
rise today in this hallowed House of Representatives, the people's 
House.
  I think when we left here Friday there were some harsh words 
exchanged between the caucuses, and we rise today to pay tribute to two 
men who may have done more to pull us together, to realize what this 
building is all about.
  I bring condolences from the district that I represent, far away from 
here, the central coast of California. For those of us who work here 
every day, I think sometimes we take what we do in this building for 
granted.
  Following the tragic shooting just 48 hours ago, Capitol Police 
Officer Jacob Chestnut and Special Agent John Gibson I think have given 
us all pause to think more seriously and more respectively of the job 
we do in this building, because this is the people's building and this 
is the people's House. Just look at the visitors that are outside this 
hall today, coming into the Capitol, paying tribute with flowers, notes 
and condolences.
  Yes, the government must go on. It never stops. But sometimes in 
history it pauses for a moment, it pauses to pay tribute. Officer 
Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson gave their lives while standing their 
duty. For this building, its workers, and, more importantly, this 
Nation, we pause to honor them. Their lives were not lost in vain, 
because, for now, our Nation joins in mourning their loss. Perhaps 
today our democracy is a little bit stronger as each American reflects 
on the sacrifice these men gave.
  Each of us knows the pain. We have all lost loved ones. We know how 
much Wen Ling Chestnut and her five children, Joseph, Janece, Janet, 
Karen and William, and Evelyn Gibson and her three children, Kristen, 
John and Daniel, feel the sudden emptiness of losing their husbands and 
fathers.
  My district, this Nation, joins in their loss and in the mourning we 
will give tomorrow.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gilman), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on 
International Relations.
  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I consider it an honor and a privilege to be able to 
join my colleagues in support of this resolution, H. Con. Res. 311, 
honoring two American heroes, our slain U.S. Capitol Police Officer 
Jacob ``J.J.'' Chestnut and U.S. Capitol Police Special Agent, John M. 
Gibson. These two dedicated police officers gave their lives in the 
line of duty to protect our Capitol, its visitors and all of us in this 
body.
  We join in extending our heartfelt prayers and condolences to the 
families of these two American heroes, our distinguished Capitol Police 
officers. J.J. Chestnut always had a ready smile and a friendly word 
for all of us. His warm personality and assistance will be sadly missed 
by all of us in the Congress and by the visitors to the Capitol.
  John Gibson will long be remembered as a hero who gave his life in 
preventing further tragedy from occurring. I remember John's visits to 
my office with his partner, Bob Vitarelli, the husband of my staff 
member. His dedication as a police officer is vividly remembered.
  Yes, the Capitol is the people's House, and it would be an outrage if 
all Americans could not feel safe in visiting our Capitol.
  Let us bear in mind the statistics disclose that every other day, 
another man or woman is killed while serving as a law enforcement 
official, illustrating the incredible risk that these dedicated men and 
women of the police undertake to keep our Nation safe. It is hoped that 
our words and actions on this resolution in honoring Officer Chestnut 
and Special Agent Gibson will remind all Americans to recognize the 
importance of the work and action of the Capitol Police. They will long 
be remembered in our thoughts and prayers.

[[Page H6467]]

  Let us reflect that their lives, like so many of our police officers 
across our Nation, are dedicated to protecting the rule of law and our 
free and democratic institutions. All of us who cherish these important 
values in institutions in America join in honoring these two dedicated, 
courageous officers for their ultimate sacrifice in helping to preserve 
our institutions and legacy just a few days ago in this very building. 
These officers, Chestnut and Gibson, symbolize the very best of our 
Nation.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Holden).
  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Officer Jacob ``J.J.'' 
Chestnut and Special Agent John M. Gibson of the United States Capitol 
Police Force. Officers Chestnut and Gibson made the ultimate sacrifice 
of giving their lives this past Friday in the protection of this 
building and this body.
  July 24, 1998, will long be remembered as a dark day in the history 
of the United States Capitol. However, Mr. Speaker, I also feel that 
July 24 should be remembered as a day of pride for the United States 
Capitol Police Department. When the gunman entered the document door 
entrance Friday afternoon, he was detected immediately by Officer 
Chestnut and contained very quickly thereafter by Special Agent Gibson, 
avoiding possible injury to all but one of the many innocent visitors 
and staff in the area.
  Because of their top-notch training and professionalism with which 
they carry out their duties each day, a much larger potential tragedy 
was averted. Their training and procedures worked, and last Friday's 
successful apprehension of a gunman, however tragic, is a testament to 
the skill and professionalism of the United States Capitol Police.
  The loss of John Gibson and J.J. Chestnut is very difficult for all 
of us. They were not strangers protecting us and the millions of 
visitors to the Capitol each year; they were our friends. They were 
members of our community.
  Capitol Police officers are people we see each day and warmly 
exchange a smile and a greeting with. Very rarely do we give 
acknowledgment to the fact that at any given moment, any one of these 
brave men and women are prepared to put their life on the line, to 
place their body in the way of a bullet to protect us, our staffs and 
the many visitors to the Capitol each day.
  Mr. Speaker, the Members of the Capitol Police Force not only deserve 
our condolences today for the loss of two of their fellow officers, 
they also deserve our gratitude for their efforts in making our 
Capitol, a symbol of freedom throughout the world, a safe place to work 
and visit.
  Mr. Speaker, as a former county sheriff and a 13-year member of the 
Fraternal Order of Police, I have a special appreciation for the 
sadness and difficulty experienced by the survivors of a fallen 
officer. John Gibson left behind a wife and three children. J.J. 
Chestnut is survived by a wife and five children. My thoughts and 
prayers are with the families of Officers Gibson and Chestnut in this 
most difficult and trying time.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon).
  (Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, during the past 12 years I 
have had the honor of serving this institution, I have had the pleasure 
of working in a very close relationship with public safety officials 
throughout America and especially here on the Hill. In fact, working 
with our very capable Sergeant at Arms, Bill Livingood, and Chief of 
Police, Gary Abrecht, I have been able to see our officers not just in 
the tragedy of this past weekend, but responding to fires and EMS calls 
and calls for bomb threats in our buildings. In fact, just 3 years ago, 
the distinguished gentleman from Maryland and I called together, with 
the Sergeant at Arms and our Police Chief, almost 40 of our Capitol 
Hill Police officers to give them citations and thank them for 
protecting the lives of our staffers and Members in what could have 
been a very tragic situation in the Longworth Building.
  Mr. Speaker, as we come here tonight to pay tribute to these very 
special people, there is really a message for our entire Nation. Mr. 
Speaker, that message is for all America: As we as a Nation, in our 200 
years of existence, look out for heroes, we sometimes look to Hollywood 
or we look to our ball fields, our football fields and baseball fields, 
and we get frustrated because we cannot find them there.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, this tragedy reminds us that our heroes are not in 
Hollywood, they are not on TV, they are not on our ball fields. They 
are in our neighborhoods. They are our law enforcement officials, our 
sheriffs, our fire officials, our EMS personnel, who every day risk 
their lives, and who, unfortunately, time and again, lose their lives, 
as these two brave heroes did last Friday.
  I join with our colleagues today, Mr. Speaker, in recognizing that we 
celebrate the heroes of this institution, the heroes of our 
neighborhood, who we have lived with and worked with for the time we 
have spent working in this Nation's Capitol.
  I rise to join with my colleagues in honoring the families and the 
memory of J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson, two real American heroes.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek).
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding 
me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I am deeply moved by the untimely deaths of these brave 
heroes, who have shown both valor and bravery in a time like this.
  Officer J.J. Chestnut and Mr. John Gibson, a Special Agent, we honor 
them for caring about us. We honor them for caring about the American 
people. We honor them ourselves today for keeping us safe and sound.
  I do respect with a great deal of respect the Capitol Police. To me 
they are an elite corps. We see them every day. They represent to us 
the best that is in America. Mr. Chestnut and Mr. Gibson showed us what 
real bravery is all about.
  There is a saying that the measure of a man's life is not how he 
died, but how he lived, and these two men lived for our protection.
  I am thinking about the words of Walt Whitman:

     O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done,.
     The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is 
           won,
     The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
     While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and 
           daring;
     But O heart! heart! heart!
     O the bleeding drops of red,
     Where on the deck my Captain lies,
     Fallen cold and dead.

     O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
     Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills,
     For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-
           crowding,
     For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces 
           turning;
     Here Captain! dear father!
     This arm beneath your head!
     It is some dream that on the deck,
     You've fallen cold and dead.

     My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
     My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
     The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and 
           done,
     From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
     Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
     But I with mournful tread,
     Walk the deck my Captain lies,
     Fallen cold and dead.

                              {time}  1830

  Goodbye to you, Mr. J.J. Chestnut; goodbye to you, Mr. Gibson. We 
will never forget your bravery and your valor.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Solomon) the distinguished chairman of the Committee on 
Rules.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time. I thank the minority leader and the two whips for offering this 
tribute to two fallen heroes, J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson, two great 
friends.
  To these officers I would just like to personally thank both of you 
for the comfort that you and all of the other police officers give to 
all of us, but particularly my staff up in the Committee on Rules in 
the third floor gallery

[[Page H6468]]

there that work the wee hours of the night so many times when there is 
not too much around to protect these loyal staff that work these late 
hours, except the police officers that are always, always on guard.
  It just is so sad that we have to be here today, because no finer 
police officers ever, ever served this Capitol. My colleagues have all 
mentioned today about what great individual human beings they both 
were. We will never forget them as police officers, but more 
importantly, we will never forget them as friends.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a stanza from a Memorial Day poem I think that 
really typifies the kind of heroes that we pay tribute to today. That 
poem goes something like this: ``I am the unknown soldier, and maybe I 
died in vain, but if I were alive and my country called, I would do it 
all over again.''
  These are two individuals that I think personify that stanza, that 
poem.
  I would just like to say to Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson 
that you mean so much to all of us, but you did give that last full 
measure of devotion for your country and for the protection of just 
decent, innocent human beings, and you paid the ultimate price for it. 
You are truly heroes, and may God bless both of you.
  To your families, we just can never, never, ever repay you for the 
sacrifices of these two heroes. But you must always know, please know, 
that you can always call on any one of us ever in the future if we can 
ever, ever be of any kind of service at all to any of you.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Lewis), the distinguished chief deputy whip.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and 
colleague for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to two American heroes, 
Officer Jacob ``J.J.'' Chestnut, and Special Agent John Gibson. Mr. 
Speaker, this is a very sad day, for these two men, members of the 
Capitol Hill Police Force, gave their lives last Friday in defense of 
this, the people's House. They are heroes. They are patriots. They put 
their bodies on the line. They are the victims of a senseless act of 
violence. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these two 
brave officers, and to all of the members of the Capitol Hill police 
family.
  These young men and women who provide security for the Capitol, for 
the people's House, are like members of our own family. They are part 
of the Capitol Hill family. When we are here in session, we see them 
every day, sometimes many times a day. We mourn with the members of the 
Capitol Hill Police Force.
  The men and women of the Capitol Hill Police Force put their lives on 
the line every day just as police officers in so many other cities and 
communities all across America. Today, Mr. Speaker, we pay tribute, we 
pay honor, to Officers Chestnut and Gibson, but we also say a prayer 
and give thanks for the safety of people serving in uniform everywhere.
  Mr. Speaker, God bless John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut. We are forever 
in their debt. They will never, ever be forgotten.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. McInnis).
  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  Most people of America did not know Officer Gibson and they did not 
know Officer Chestnut, but they know what they did here, and now most 
people in America honor and respect and really know these officers.
  Every 48 hours in this country somewhere we have a police officer who 
loses his life or her life in the line of duty. It is unfortunate that 
it takes a tragedy like this to move the word ``hero'' from the sports 
page back to the news page.
  Many years ago, I lost a very, very close friend of mine whom I was 
with about an hour before his death. He was very young. And I remember 
at the service the story that I think we can relate here very easily, 
and I think it applies here.
  His grandpa was an old cowboy, I live in the mountains of Colorado, 
and he was weathered, very seasoned, very wise. I was crying, I was 
very upset. And much like here, I think his comments rest. Those 
comments were, despite all of this tragedy, do not be too sad, because 
all that has really happened here is that Officer Gibson and Officer 
Chestnut have just saddled up their horses, they have ridden ahead on 
the trail, they have set up camp, and they have put the coffee on for 
us.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Skaggs).
  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  There are so many things that we all want to try to express at this 
difficult time. We all want to say ``thank you'' to Officer Chestnut 
and Special Agent Gibson. Thank you for your dedication to duty, your 
bravery, your courage, your heroism. We want to say to their families 
how very, very sorry we are for your awful loss. We want to honor you 
as we honor your husbands and your fathers.
  We want to say to all Capitol Police that we are grateful for all you 
do to keep this Capitol safe for all who work and visit here. We offer 
sympathy to you for the loss of your brother officers.
  This congressional community feels this tragedy so deeply. It was an 
assault on each of us who is privileged to serve here. We all are 
touched by the great sacrifice of these two good men who died for us.
  This life is fragile; this democracy is fragile. These two great 
Americans helped so profoundly to protect these fragile and precious 
things. They gave, as Lincoln said, their last full measure of 
devotion. May they rest in peace and all the honor we can grant them 
held in God's generous grace.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Mica).
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to express my 
very deepest sympathy to the wives, the children, and the families of 
Officer Gibson and Officer Chestnut. Their tragic deaths have a very 
special significance to me as a Member of Congress. These men gave 
their lives to protect me, other Members, staff, and visitors to our 
Nation's Capital.
  I cannot think of any greater sacrifice than they gave. They gave up 
their lives to protect ours. With their deaths this Capitol building 
and this Congress will never be the same.
  As chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Service of the Committee on 
Government Reform and Oversight, I commend these great civil servants 
who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow men. They acted 
with courage, they acted unhesitantly, with devotion to their job and 
their duty.
  Together, we come this evening to honor the memory of Officers 
Chestnut and Gibson. I join my colleagues, their colleagues, our staff 
and the American people to say thank you to our fallen heroes.
  We also now have a new appreciation for all our civil servants and 
all of our Capitol Police Officers who put their lives at risk each 
day. To each and every one of these dedicated civil servants we say, 
thank you. Thank you for a job well done.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Bentsen).
  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my most heartfelt sympathy to the 
families of Officer Jacob Chestnut and Special Agent John Gibson. On 
behalf of my constituents and my family, my deepest gratitude for their 
service to our Nation. They died doing their jobs.
  How many times have we told our constituents as we take them on 
tours, just ask one of the officers? How many times do we pass the 
officer coming in for a vote or going to a meeting, say hello, look at 
their eyes and pass them by, never knowing that in a moment they could 
be gone as a result of some violent act?
  I, like many of my colleagues here, have spent a good part of my life 
working in the Capitol, first as congressional staff and now as a 
Member of this body, the people's House. It is easy for us to take for 
granted what a magnificent Capitol this is and what it symbolizes to 
the Nation and to the world and forget the price that has been paid 
throughout our history to preserve freedom and democracy. Last

[[Page H6469]]

Friday afternoon, we were reminded all too sadly of that price.
  Last Friday's violent assault was an attack not just on Members, 
congressional employees and visitors, but it was an assault on our 
Nation's most cherished values. Random violence permeated the very 
halls that give life and meaning to the practice of democracy. Our 
Nation owes a debt of gratitude to Officer Chestnut and Special Agent 
Gibson and to the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police who 
risk their lives to protect this Capitol, the people who come here, and 
all that it represents every day.
  Just as the two whom we mourn today, they put their lives on the line 
every day to protect our democracy and the rule of law from those who 
would change our laws or government through violence rather than civil 
debate and fair, open and legitimate elections. Just as importantly, 
they protect the Capitol so that all the world's citizens can watch the 
Congress and monitor the business of democracy.
  How many times have we had visitors from other countries who say they 
cannot believe how open our Capitol is? It is because of those like 
Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson and the fact that they gave 
their lives so democracy could live.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add my voice to the salute by all of the 
American people and all of their representatives to the fallen heroes 
of the Capitol Police Force, Officer Jacob Joseph Chestnut and 
Detective John Michael Gibson.
  How appropriate it is indeed that the bodies of Officer Chestnut and 
Detective Gibson will lie in honor in the Rotunda of the Capitol that 
they honored each day with their work, the Capitol whose many visitors 
and those of us who have the honor of working here, these officers 
risked their lives day in and day out to protect, and indeed, they gave 
their lives to protect.

                              {time}  1845

  It is not often, Mr. Speaker, that we have the honor of paying 
tribute to genuine heroes in our midst. It is with the most profound 
reverence and admiration that all of us in this Congress stand as one 
tonight to pay our respects to these fallen heroes, Officers J.J. 
Chestnut and John Gibson, and to stand in solidarity with their 
families, to whom we commit our endless friendship and for whom we 
offer our prayers.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the chief deputy whip.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues tonight to pay tribute 
to Officer J.J. Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson for their bravery in 
last week's tragic shooting. Those of us who work in the United States 
Capitol know the dedication of all of the U.S. Capitol Police. We see 
them each and every day in the halls, by the doors, by the parking 
garages. They are our friends, and indeed, they are our protectors.
  The U.S. Capitol is truly the people's House. It is among the most 
open and accessible in the world. The Capitol Police make that 
possible, while protecting the safety of those who work and who visit 
here. They do not just protect the visitors who come here every day, or 
the Members of the Congress, or our staffs. They protect the ideal of 
freedom that our Nation was founded upon.
  We all know that if not for their bravery and swift reaction, many 
more innocent lives would have been lost. J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson 
truly made the ultimate sacrifice, and we will never forget them for 
what they have done.
  My heart goes out to the Chestnut and Gibson families as they 
struggle to come to terms with this terrible loss. Words are often 
meaningless at this time, but I know that we all hope that they know 
that they are in our hearts and our prayers during this difficult time.
  I also wanted to extend my sympathies to the entire U.S. Capitol 
Police Force, officers who have been carrying on their duties while 
carrying a huge burden of grief. We thank them for everything that they 
do. They are all heroes.
  On a personal note, I would just like to say that several Members, 
including myself, were in the press gallery at the time of the 
incident. We were in the Capitol, and the Capitol Police came in to 
secure our safety and to escort us to safety. I say thank you to those 
officers who came in to secure our safety. I say thank you, and my 
family says thank you.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lewis).
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate very much the 
distinguished majority leader yielding me the time.
  I think we all from time to time step back and wonder what is the 
view of the American people of this great Capitol and the work that is 
done in both bodies. Ofttimes the shrill voices displayed on C-Span 
dwell upon the negative, those things that divide us. Indeed, all too 
often we find ourselves in the well of the House exchanging dialogue 
that certainly is far from the picture that is being displayed at this 
moment.
  Is it not a tragedy that we have a circumstance where two of our 
very, very finest have given their lives on behalf of the country, as 
well as for us, and that such a tragedy in a different way causes us to 
pause and recognize that we are a family; that we work together, and 
all of us have much more in common than we have in difference.
  Indeed, the men and women who work in the Capitol, the Members of 
both bodies, come here in commitment to our country in a belief that by 
being here, we can make a difference in peoples' lives and strengthen 
our Nation. It is very, very important that we take away from this a 
lasting memory of this family that we all are a part of. Members of 
Congress, professional staff, police officers, support personnel, all 
of us are a part of a great American family.
  Tomorrow John Gibson and J.J. Chestnut will be honored in a ceremony 
befitting the finest of America's fallen leaders. I must say that my 
last picture of John Gibson reminded me of this in a special way. I was 
coming back from the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 
walking towards the House floor for a vote, walking past the office of 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), and John Gibson said, ``How are 
you doing, Congressman,'' as he always does; a reminder that we are in 
this together.
  Let us in the months ahead remember these two great heroes, and at 
the same time, have them remind us that our family is much, much more 
important than the differences we may have day in and day out.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson 
worked among us on Capitol Hill every day helping tourists, providing 
directions, greeting visitors, and protecting our lives. Because they 
did their jobs so well, we hardly ever thought of the danger that 
always lies just below the surface of all law enforcement activities.
  The tragic events of last Friday demonstrated to the Nation and the 
world the full peril of the law enforcement profession that is so often 
hidden from the public, but carried with quiet resolve by those 
responsible for our safety.
  Officer Chestnut planned to retire in September, ending an 18-year 
career with the Capitol Hill Police Department. His ready smile was a 
constant greeting to Capitol visitors. His deep, warm, velvety voice 
that always made you smile; his warm, helping manner, was familiar to 
all of us. In fact, he was writing out directions for a tourist when 
the gunman entered the Capitol and shot him in the head. His last act 
was one of professional and selfless service.
  Officer Gibson was from Massachusetts, and was married to the niece 
of our good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
Joe Moakley). While detailed to the majority whip's office, he 
impressed everyone with his quiet dignity and dedication. His 
dedication led him to save many lives while bringing down the gunman, 
and in so doing, lay down his own life.

[[Page H6470]]

  All who work in and visit the Capitol Hill complex owe a special debt 
of gratitude to these brave officers, but all Americans honor them 
today. In this citadel of democracy, the United States Capitol, whether 
we perform the tasks of government or celebrate our historical 
heritage, we walk freely. We can do so because of the dedication and 
skill of our Capitol Hill police officers. Officers Chestnut and Gibson 
performed their duties with excellence, and died in the noble exercise 
of their profession.
  Today we mourn their deaths, sympathize with and pray for their 
families, and rededicate ourselves to reducing violence, punishing 
lawlessness, and celebrating the qualities of courage and sacrifice 
that stand as the ultimate testament to the lives of these two heroes.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Connecticut (Mr. Shays).
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Fourth 
Congressional District of Connecticut, my family, and staff, I want to 
express our love and admiration for ``two heroes of democracy,'' as our 
Speaker described them, Detective John Gibson and Officer J.J. 
Chestnut, and to their dear families, John's wife, Evelyn, and his 
three children, Kristen, John, and Daniel; and Officer Chestnut's wife, 
Wen Ling, and his five children, Joseph, Janece, Janet, Karen, and 
William.
  To them I say, your husband and father was required, as protector, to 
guard this place, and at the same time, as ambassador, to welcome with 
open arms the people to their House, all the people. John and JJ 
fulfilled both tasks with extraordinary distinction.
  I thank them for protecting our majority whip, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Tom DeLay), and his devoted staff, and for protecting all of 
us who serve here and all who visit here.
  Behind the Speaker pro tempore is the American flag, with its 50 
white stars embedded in a sea of blue and outlined by brilliant red and 
white stripes. As we look at our flag we could think of how those stars 
came into being. As we look at our flag we could think of the great 
history of our nation. If we were a veteran, we might think of our 
buddies who fought for this flag and never came home, and of their 
families who never got to talk or hug them again.
  When I look at our flag and pledge allegiance to it when we begin 
each session, I will think of Detective John Michael Gibson and I will 
think of Officer Jacob Joseph Chestnut, and I will think of their 
families, with deep humility, gratitude and love.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Wynn).
  Mr. WYNN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in expressing our sincerest 
condolences to the families of Officer Jacob J.J. Chestnut and to 
Detective William Gibson, and to the entire Capitol Hill Police 
Department.
  As is the case with many people who are employed here on the Hill, 
Officer Chestnut was actually a constituent of mine. He was a kind man, 
a gentle man, a man who is beloved by his fellow officers. He was a man 
within months of retirement. The tragedy, obviously, was compounded.
  Saturday, I had the occasion to visit with his family. I spoke with 
his son, and the pain he was experiencing was very obvious. I also had 
a great deal of admiration for the way the son stood tall in his 
father's spirit and greeted visitors and accepted their well wishes.
  Today we all speak with a great deal of eloquence and admiration for 
our fallen heroes, but I often think of how sometimes, in fact, in our 
own sense of self-importance we did not even take the time to speak or 
to say hello or we rushed past because we are too busy with our 
concerns.
  Sometimes when issues of compensation or work conditions arose, we 
were slow to respond. I am hopeful that as part of our gratitude and 
part of our expression of sentiments, we will recognize the role of the 
Capitol Police and acknowledge them in our actions as well as through 
our words.
  In that vein, I would like to compliment and thank the leadership of 
both parties for joining in according these fallen heroes the high 
honor of lying in honor, and also in according their families the 
practical honor of seeing that their expenses are taken care of. I 
think it speaks well of the sense of this House.
  Words are inadequate on occasions such as this. To the families, I 
commend the power of prayer. That is perhaps the greatest solace of 
all.
  These men met the challenge in preserving the safety and the 
accessibility of this House, the People's House. They stand as true 
American heroes. May we never forget their sacrifice and may they rest 
in peace.
  Mr. ARMY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from California (Mr. Horn).
  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker I thank the majority leader for yielding time 
to me.
  Mr. Speaker, last Friday's tragedy continues to haunt our Capitol 
Hill community and our Nation. For those of us who work every day under 
the protection provided by the Capitol Police, it is particularly 
disturbing and saddening. My condolences and prayers go out to the 
family members and the friends of Officer J.J. Chestnut and Special 
Agent John Gibson.
  Without Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson, more lives would 
have been lost on Friday afternoon. They are heroes in every sense of 
that word, and deserve our deepest gratitude for their ultimate 
sacrifice.
  One can only wish that the heroism and the bravery of the Capitol 
Police Force could have been brought to our Nation's attention under 
less tragic circumstances. The Capitol Police officers are our friends 
and our colleagues. The protection of freedom is a goal that we share 
with them. They work to ensure that the Members of Congress can do 
their jobs without fear of intimidation or harm.
  On a more personal note, I have the highest appreciation for the 
Capitol Police, for the assistance that they have provided to me and to 
my staff, with great skill, courtesy and professionalism.
  Few of us are asked to risk our lives in the performance of our daily 
job duties. All of our Nation's law enforcement officers face that risk 
of death every day. Each day they leave their homes and their families 
to go to work, knowing that they might not return home. They accept the 
risk of death as the price of our freedom and the ability to live in a 
peaceful society. Because of their courageous selflessness, they do all 
of this without hesitation or complaint.
  For elected Members, our support staff and the Capitol Police 
officers, Capitol Hill is our workplace and in many cases at least our 
part-time neighborhood. This tragedy hits close to home for all of us. 
We all have walked countless times in the area where the shootings 
occurred. We have taken our families, friends and constituents on tours 
that pass through that part of the Capitol. I had one of my staff with 
individuals there at that time and the police protected them.
  The Capitol is the people's House. There is no more recognizable 
symbol of democracy than the dome and the flags flying over each wing, 
and it is the hallmark of democracy and the right of all Americans to 
come to Washington to meet their representatives, and Officer Chestnut 
and Special Agent Gibson have helped thousands of people over the last 
few years in every possible way. We must continue the openness of the 
symbols of democracy that they died to protect.

                              {time}  1900

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Klink).
  Mr. KLINK. Mr. Speaker, I find myself here in the Chamber transfixed 
and moved by the statements of all of my colleagues today, and very 
proud that I have an opportunity to pay tribute to our two fallen 
friends.
  In my previous career as a journalist, I was so proud of my 
friendships with police officers. I had been in that career only 3 
years when, in 1972, two Penn Hills police officers were gunned down. 
They were shot to death in the parking lot of a shopping mall just east 
of Pittsburgh by, of all people, a suspected shoplifter.
  I thought I would never see such a scene as that again, and I thought 
that I would never feel those feelings again, to see two keepers of the 
peace struck down suddenly, unexpectedly, needlessly; to think of the 
wives and the

[[Page H6471]]

children and the community left behind as those officers made the 
ultimate sacrifice.
  But here now we have this tragic shooting of two police officers here 
in the Nation's Capitol inside the Capitol building. It shows us again 
that that thin blue line that protects each and every one of us bleeds 
red, and that the hearts of those peacekeepers beat bravely, beat 
courageously on duty, and now they are silenced. They will beat no 
more. Except they will beat in our unending love for them, our memories 
of them, and our appreciation for the sacrifices that they made on our 
behalf.
  Our sympathies and God's blessing on their families, and our prayers 
that their souls may know enduring peace for all eternity.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fox).
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Armey), our majority leader, for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a person of astonishing character who takes up a 
profession of not merely public service but defense of the public. 
Those who preserve public safety and enforce our Nation's laws should 
be held in nothing but the highest regard. Each day brings uncertainty 
as their job places them between the public and potential threats to 
their well-being. Every law enforcement officer, these men and women 
who wear the blue uniform on the Federal, State, and local level, and 
every firefighter and every member of our Armed Services and emergency 
medical service personnel, has made a conscious decision to fulfill the 
highest level of public service, placing their lives on the line so 
that others may be safe.
  Detective John Gibson and Officer J.J. Chestnut were among those 
individuals of astonishing character who worked each and every day in 
defense of liberty guarding our Capitol, its staff, its visitors, and 
the freedom for which it stands.
  These officers are true heroes of democracy, and every American owes 
them a deep debt of gratitude. I believe that is one debt we will never 
be able to adequately repay. If not for their quick and courageous 
action, more civilians and officers could have been injured or killed. 
They gave their lives to protect hundreds of tourists, staff, and 
Members of Congress who visit and work in the People's House.
  I believe that we need to remember their families, their friends, and 
our special prayers also go out to their fellow officers who have lost 
not only colleagues but friends, brothers, and family as well.
  The tragic events of July 24 amounted to a senseless tragedy which we 
may never fully understand. But the action of Officers Chestnut and 
Gibson and all those who helped to apprehend the gunman, assist the 
injured, and evacuate the building, truly underscore the dedication, 
commitment, and astonishing character of these heroes of democracy.
  John Michael Gibson and J.J. Chestnut, we will never forget you.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Turner).
  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, Friday, July 24, 1998, will be remembered as 
a tragic chapter in the history of our Capitol. A lone gunman, Russell 
Weston, rushed into an east entrance of this building we call the 
``People's House'' and in a few brief moments of terrifying exchange of 
gunfire, took the lives of United States Capitol Police Officers John 
Gibson and Jacob Chestnut.
  These men had dedicated the last 18 years of their lives protecting 
the safety of the Members of Congress, our staffs, and our constituents 
who visit these halls by the hundreds of thousands each year.
  On that fateful Friday, Officers Gibson and Chestnut made the 
ultimate sacrifice of their lives that others might live. No words can 
adequately praise their heroism or their courage, nor can we fully 
express our sorrow and sympathy to their families whose loss is so 
personal and difficult to understand.
  This afternoon, as my wife Ginny and I joined with hundreds of 
Americans who have placed flowers on the east steps of the Capitol in 
expression of sympathy to the families of these two men, it seemed 
clear that all Americans are reaching out today to the families of 
these two brave Americans. Their commitment to duty and their 
unflinching willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice humbles each of 
us who were beneficiaries of their protections.
  Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with the 
Chestnut and Gibson families. May their sorrow be tempered in time by 
an ever-deepening pride that they died in service to our country that 
others might live.
  The Scriptures say that there is no greater love than to lay down 
one's life for a friend. Our friends, John Gibson and J.J. Chestnut, 
loved their families, they loved their country, and they showed each of 
us what love really means. May God rest their souls and may we ever 
cherish their memory.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Armey) for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a little quieter today in Washington in thoughtful 
reference for Mr. Gibson and Mr. Chestnut. Our hearts collectively here 
in the Nation's Capitol reach out to the families of Mr. Gibson and Mr. 
Chestnut, to comfort as best we can their sorrow. These two brave men 
have not only saved our lives, but these two brave men have changed our 
lives and this place forever.
  Their friendly presence and their warm smile will be with us as a 
Nation as we go to work, as we go to school, as we travel through the 
hallowed places of this country. We will feel the presence that Mr. 
Gibson and Mr. Chestnut have left.
  A summer afternoon at a ball game, we will feel their friendly 
presence. During the gentle spring rain or a cold winter night, we will 
feel their warm smile. When we experience joy, they and their spirit 
will be with us. When we experience sorrow, these two men will be there 
as well.
  Mr. Chestnut and Mr. Gibson, their lives were the essence of 
humility, commitment, compassion, faith, and love. They have set the 
mark for all of us to follow.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), chief deputy whip.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Bonior) for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, we have gathered in these hallowed Chambers to pay 
tribute to two fallen heroes, Officer Jacob Chestnut and Special Agent 
John Gibson. When tragedy strikes, we are often left groping for 
answers. Over the past couple of days, we have all asked ourselves the 
same haunting questions: Why has this tragedy occurred? Why have people 
of such valor suddenly been taken from our lives? Why have these 
devoted husbands and fathers been taken from their families?
  We may never have adequate answers to these questions, but we must 
work to ensure that they did not die in vain.
  Mr. Speaker, that means that after paying our respects and mourning 
we must remember that it was a man not alone but with a gun who 
committed this tragedy. Ensuring that they did not die in vain means 
that we recommit ourselves to the freedom and values they sought to 
defend.
  It can be said that they defended a Capitol, a building, a national 
landmark. It can be said that they defended those who work and visit 
here, and that would be true as well. But in my mind what they were 
really defending is our most precious gift as Americans, the freedom to 
come to the seat of our government, the most open and democratic of the 
entire world, and see it, speak to it, or even peacefully protest 
against it.
  It is the job of the living to remember their sacrifice and to ensure 
that violence never wins over the principles this country was founded 
upon. Now and forever, the Capitol must remain a sanctuary for 
democracy and for the American people.
  May God bless the families of Officer Chestnut and Special Agent 
Gibson. They are in our hearts, our thoughts, and in the prayers of the 
people of the 13th District of New Jersey.

[[Page H6472]]

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pappas).
  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey) 
for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues in expressing my deep sympathy 
to the families of Mr. Chestnut and Mr. Gibson. I had the opportunity 
to know each of them, and admired them. They are an example, Mr. 
Speaker, of all of the Capitol Hill Police who are here each day to 
protect me, to protect my staff, to protect the literally hundreds if 
not thousands of constituents from Central New Jersey that visit this 
building each year. And, in fact, this causes each of us to pause and 
to think of and hopefully express in various ways our deep debt of 
gratitude to all law enforcement officials.
  This past weekend, being home, Friday night, Saturday, Sunday, 
interacting with the people of Central New Jersey, it was very moving 
to me to see how many people approached me to ask me about the tragedy. 
They asked me if I knew these two gentlemen, asked me what I thought. 
How moved they were. How saddened they were by this tragedy. And what a 
legacy that is to these two gentlemen, to the men and women that they 
have served with, and to all law enforcement officials across the 
country.
  Yesterday morning in church, my pastor asked me to say a word about 
what took place. When I did, I was overcome, as so many of us have 
been, with emotion because that could have been me. I could have been 
somewhere else, could have been in the line of fire, and I was not, by 
the grace of God.
  What these two gentlemen did in trying to preserve the peace, trying 
to preserve not just this edifice but to preserve and protect the 
people who work and visit here, is a tribute to them and to what they 
did so selflessly for all of us.
  May God bless their memory.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Sisisky).
  Mr. SISISKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Bonior) for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, there are no words to express my sorrow about the tragic 
deaths of Capitol Police Officers Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson.
  That they died in the line of duty while serving their country and 
protecting this hallowed shrine of democracy can provide little solace 
to their families. For their families, the lives of loving husbands and 
fathers have been taken forever. There are no words, no sentiment that 
can make up this terrible loss to their wives and children.
  I think it is safe to say that every Member of the Congress, every 
Senator, every staff member, every visitor has taken for granted the 
safety of this place and this building. That is no longer the case. And 
if we ever reach the point where our safety is ever once again taken 
for granted, it will be largely because their dedicated fellow officers 
do their duty like they always have and once more restore the sense of 
peace and protection to these hallowed halls.
  The risks that are accepted by these officers on a daily basis, as 
well as the courage they are prepared to display, as did Officers 
Chestnut and Gibson last Friday, should be humbling to us all.
  A Bible story about those who gave their lives for others says, and I 
quote, ``They were beloved and pleasant in life and in death they were 
together; they were swifter than eagles, and they were strong as 
lions.''
  It is our responsibility to love and support their families, protect 
and defend their country, defend the institution for which they gave 
their lives, and honor their memory forever. But those who survive face 
the toughest challenge. And I want their families to know that all 
Americans are deeply grateful for their sacrifice for us and for this 
Nation.

                              {time}  1915

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Foley).
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the majority leader for 
according the Members this time to pay tribute to two fallen heroes. I 
join my colleagues in reiterating what most are no doubt feeling today, 
that sadly our Nation has lost two American heroes.
  When I first heard of the shooting last Friday and subsequently about 
the tragic deaths of Capitol Police Officers Chestnut and Gibson, I was 
reminded of a point I tried to make more than 5 months earlier during a 
speech in this very Chamber.
  When I took to the floor last February, I paid tribute to the Capitol 
Police force and another selfless officer, David Lyon, who rescued the 
passenger of a car which are plunged into the Potomac River. I did not 
realize how apropos my words would be these many months later.
  At that time I said, It is important to note that the Capitol Police 
force who man security around this building are of the finest caliber 
and quality. They do serve the public and the people of the United 
States of America in not only protecting our guests and visitors, which 
number in the millions on an annual basis, but also the property that 
we consider sacred, this Chamber and the monuments that surround this 
wonderful complex.
  I added at that time, It is a very dangerous job. Oftentimes their 
families do not know whether in fact they will return safely because of 
the dangers of just doing their job.
  Little did I know how prophetic these words would be. Let me join the 
rest of the Nation expressing my profound sadness at the loss of 
officers Chestnut and Gibson, who selflessly laid down their lives so 
that I and every other person who visits or works in this building 
could remain safe.
  I offer my deepest condolences to their families, and I ask God to 
bless their children. Their daddy is not coming home anymore, but their 
daddy cared deeply about them. He cared for every man and woman in this 
building. They did their job proudly, and God bless them for that.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Roemer).
  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Michigan for yielding 
me the time.
  As we look to the ceiling of this great historic Chamber in the 
direction of Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson, we see inscribed on 
this great Chamber ceiling an eagle with the words E Pluribus Unum. 
From the many, one.
  Today, I think it is from one to the many. From a detective and an 
officer, from their sacrifices, from their professionalism and 
expertise to the many families, the many Americans and the many 
freedoms that we enjoy in this great country.
  On Friday, I, like many of my fellow colleagues, brought children to 
this Chamber, my 5-year-old and 4-year-old. My 4-year-old fell asleep 
in this Chamber in the front row.
  It is because we feel, as Members of Congress, 435 of us, so secure 
with the professionalism of these officers and what we want our 
children to see up here with this great institution that we have this 
security. We thank the families of these officers.
  From the people of this great country, 6 to 8 million people visit 
this historic Chamber and this great Capitol, they are thankful to 
these families and these two courageous officers.
  And finally, Mr. Speaker, what price, what price can you put on 
freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the ability of 
legislators to get together to make laws and the people in these 
chambers to watch with sunshine, these officers, this Capitol Hill 
Police force, allows that to take place.
  On behalf of our families, on behalf of our freedoms, on behalf of 
the American people, we thank the courage, the bravery, and the heroic 
acts of these two great men.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Hayworth).
  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, we struggle in vain to find the right 
words to try and make sense of the senseless. In the final analysis, we 
realize that no words can compensate, no words can comfort, no words 
can change the reality of loss confronted by the families of John and 
J.J.
  In the end, Mr. Speaker, we are left not with words but with 
examples. In the New Testament Book of James, the writer reminds us 
that words are one thing and actions are something else. In the midst 
of this tragedy, Mr.

[[Page H6473]]

Speaker, we saw a devotion to duty that transcends the horror and 
mayhem of that hour of uncertainty, because J.J. and John reflexively 
answered their call to duty.
  In the end, that remains the truth and reality, that as 
professionals, befitting their brothers and sisters who wear the badges 
of honor in this House, they understood the true meaning of public 
service, which is not restricted to those who hold public office but in 
fact includes all of those willing to stand and put their lives on the 
line for an idea and a notion greater than themselves.
  Mr. Speaker, our Founders, in the Declaration of Independence, the 
first time we see in print those words, the United States of America, 
said in closing, we pledge our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor.
  So, too, did John and J.J. Rest in peace, job well done.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes minutes to the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton).
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I wish that I could say the words that 
would assuage the grief of the families of Officers Gibson and 
Chestnut, but I cannot.
  I wish I had the words to properly express how they have protected 
this democratic institution, but I cannot. I can only say a word of 
gratitude. It was Cicero, the great Roman orator, who once said that 
gratitude is the greatest of all virtues. So that is what we are here 
about this evening, expressing in our own way the gratitude of our 
Nation, of our people and of each other.
  My first experience with police officers on Capitol Hill was when we 
first came in December 1976, and the police officer I asked, and I was 
dressed in blue jeans and a ratty old overcoat. My family, my wife Suzy 
and I, my three boys were in the Capitol to look around. I asked 
directions of one of the officers, and he called me by name. Yet I was 
not a Member of Congress. I thought then they were a special group, and 
they are. Quiet competence, knowledgeable, friendly.
  On top of that we have examples of two who were quietly competent, 
knowledgeable and friendly, but also heroes.
  I say to this body, Mr. Speaker, as well as to all across the 
country, that every one of the Capitol Police that serves us today is 
quietly competent, friendly and knowledgeable, but each one, Mr. 
Speaker, is also a potential hero.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Forbes).
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the first 
district of New York, I join with all of our colleagues and our Capitol 
Hill family and, indeed, all Americans, as we mourn the loss of two 
brave heroes, Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson.
  To their loving wives and their precious children and, indeed, all of 
their family and friends, we extend our heartfelt sympathies and 
prayers. Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson brightened our days. 
They watched out for us. They made us feel secure and, just as we come 
here today to mourn them, so, too, do we celebrate the kind of men what 
they were. They, like so many of their colleagues on the Capitol Hill 
Police force, are a special breed of courageous, devoted and 
conscientious protectors.
  May the Lord continue to shine upon them his infinite love and mighty 
graces.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Waters).
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the 35th 
congressional district and the people of the State of California, I, 
along with all of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, join 
with the President and other Members of Congress and, of course, the 
citizens of this entire Nation in sending our heartfelt condolences to 
the families of slain Capitol Police Officer Jacob ``J.J.'' Chestnut 
and Capitol Police Detective John M Gibson.
  We, too, are pained by the tragic death of two very fine officers who 
lost their lives while serving and protecting those of us who work and 
visit the Nation's Capitol each day.
  Officer Chestnut was shot while guarding the east entrance of the 
Capitol. Detective Gibson was shot twice while protecting majority whip 
Tom DeLay's leadership office. They were the first officers in our 
history slain while protecting the Capitol of the United States.
  These officers, these husbands, these fathers served their country 
unselfishly before they lost their lives last Friday. Both were 18 year 
veterans of the Capitol Police. Yes, each was a father and each was 
indeed a husband. Officer Chestnut was married with 5 children. He also 
was a grandfather. Detective Gibson was married with 3 children.
  We may never be able to make sense of why Russell Eugene Weston, who 
had a history of mental illness, barged into the Capitol, barged in on 
Friday to shoot innocent people.
  We do know this, however: We know that Officer Chestnut and Detective 
Gibson are heroes. They made the ultimate sacrifice. They gave their 
lives so that others might live. For that, we are indeed eternally 
grateful.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to the Members of the 
House, please remember to take time to acknowledge all our officers 
and, really, all of the workers who protect and maintain the Capitol 
and the office buildings. Say hello to them. Ask them how they are 
doing. Treat them with respect on a daily basis. After all, their lives 
are at risk every day to protect us and the citizens of this country 
who visit their Capitol.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Quinn).

                              {time}  1930

  Mr. QUINN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for yielding me 
the time this afternoon.
  Mr. Speaker, I came over with prepared remarks to talk about the 
heroes that all of us have talked about this afternoon and will tonight 
and tomorrow. But after listening and thinking about these prepared 
remarks, Mr. Speaker, I have to go off topic to simply say that, in all 
the confusion on Friday, I went home, caught a flight back to Buffalo, 
New York. All of us went home. I talked to constituents, and I talked 
to my family, and I discussed with people back home in Buffalo how they 
were happy and glad that I was safe, that I made it home to be with my 
own family.
  Mr. Speaker, it seems at times that we worry about all of our 
inconveniences and all of our own problems and all of our differences 
here at work each week, but not only did I return home to my family but 
I am back at it again today, here in the Nation's Capitol. Officer 
Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson are not.
  At times, our inconveniences and our problems and our differences 
seem to be bigger than they should be. We only have to look at these 
two fine gentlemen to understand how unimportant our inconveniences and 
our problems and our differences really are.
  So what do we do and where do we go from here after services 
tomorrow? I might suggest, Mr. Speaker, that the Members of the House 
return to work and put aside those differences and those inconveniences 
and those problems and we get to the people's work in the People's 
House, in this building, to do what is right for Americans, and we do 
it because we know that there are officers just like J.J. Chestnut and 
John Gibson who protect us and put their lives on the line every day 
who want us to do it that way.
  On behalf of my own family and the people of the 30th Congressional 
District in New York, I pledge to do that in memory of J.J. Chestnut 
and John Gibson.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Indiana (Ms. Carson).
  Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, it was written some years ago, ``Greater 
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his 
friends.''
  Certainly I rise today in behalf of the 10th Congressional District, 
State of Indiana, and for those who wished they were in this place 
tonight to pay special tribute to two brave police officers who gave 
their lives to protect the safety of visitors, the Capitol staffers and 
Members of Congress and to ensure that all Americans can freely walk 
the halls of Congress.
  Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson are two of my heroes. I had 
the privilege of meeting both of the gentlemen when I would go in the 
second entrance over there and was always endeared by their sweet 
smiles, their professionalism and their attentiveness.

[[Page H6474]]

  As we debate what could have happened and what did not happen, I do 
not believe that there is anything under God's sun that we could have 
done to have prevented that awesome tragedy of last Friday. Because 
certainly Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson especially did all 
that he could in terms of even giving up his own life for the sake of 
others.
  I would like to convey my heartfelt sympathy to the families of those 
valiant officers and to assure them that they are in our thoughts and 
prayers, not just after tomorrow but eternally, especially while we 
come in and out of the House of Representatives.
  I would like to add that I come from a district where the violence 
has eclipsed, we are surpassing the numbers of violence that we 
incurred last year in terms of homicides. I would trust that, rather 
than to overreact to this situation, because there is certainly nothing 
that we can do to erase that horrible tragedy that occurred at the 
Capitol on last Friday, but I think we, as Members of Congress, now 
must lean on the poet who wrote, ``Blessed are the peacemakers,'' and 
do everything that we can in our power to ensure safe and peaceful 
schools and neighborhoods and parks and workplaces.
  Let us come to grips with the violence in our Nation to make sure 
that this type of tragedy that claimed Officer Chestnut and Special 
Agent Gibson is no longer a part of American life. We owe that to 
Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson to do nothing less. And while 
we honor these two young men, let us remember that we have much work to 
do in terms of assuring the health and the safety of Americans 
everywhere.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
  Mr. PASCRELL. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for yielding me 
this time.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of the 8th District of New Jersey join all 
Americans in pausing to think about their lives, cut short by a madman, 
J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson. They represented family, dedication, 
hope; and the Chestnut and Gibson families should know that we here 
will not forget. You can count on this Congress.
  Second, this house of the people should not be turned into a 
barricaded camp in the name of providing more security to the Congress. 
I feel secure. And democracy is, also. We shall be vigilant.
  Recently, Mr. Speaker, I had a group of students come here. They 
wanted to go, four or five of them, to a place, a remote place in this 
building where usually people do not go. So I took them down to the 
bowels of the Capitol. We stopped for a moment, and I said, ``Do you 
know where we are? This is where part of the War of 1812 was fought. 
And at the time it was being fought here, they were trying to burn down 
the White House down the street.''
  They could not believe that, because we take a lot of those things 
for granted, do we not? When they came out of the building, they turned 
and looked at it differently than they looked at it when they went into 
this building.
  Mr. Speaker, from now on, I will bring those groups to where Mr. 
Chestnut and his friend and our honored person John Gibson fell. 
Democracy is secure because of them. Democracy is better because of 
them. Yet these things happened outside of a war. God bless them, God 
bless their families, God bless America.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Vermont (Mr. Sanders).
  Mr. SANDERS. I thank the minority whip for yielding time.
  Mr. Speaker, when I was home over the weekend, several Vermonters 
asked me to make certain that I express on their behalf their sorrow at 
the tragic deaths of Capitol Police Officers John Gibson and Jacob 
Chestnut. I know that I speak for all the people of the State of 
Vermont as well as my wife Jane when I do just that.
  Mr. Speaker, these two extraordinarily brave officers did the job 
that they were trained to do and that they pledged to do. When their 
moment of truth came on Friday, they did not shirk from their 
responsibilities, and they did what I think all of us hope that we have 
the courage and the strength to do when our moment of truth might come. 
They gave their lives protecting congressional staff, visitors and 
elected officials.
  It is appropriate that we honor these men and their families because 
they not only protected and saved the lives of many individuals, but 
they helped assure that the People's House remains open to all 
Americans. If democracy means anything, it means that the people have 
the right to visit with their elected officials, to go to the meetings 
that are of importance to them, to make their opinions known. That is 
what democracy is about. It is terribly important that no deranged 
individual, no terrorist stops that process and closes the door. Our 
hearts go out to these brave officers. They are true American heroes.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin).
  Mrs. CUBIN. Mr. Speaker, today we gather here to show our respect and 
honor for the two men who died Friday heroically in the line of duty. I 
knew both of them. They were both very fine men, family men. Their 
sacrifice needs to remind all of us how very much we owe to all 
policemen and law enforcement officers across this Nation who similarly 
put their lives on the line every single day for the public safety and 
to protect the freedom that so often we take for granted.
  It is very sad that it takes something like this for us to express 
our appreciation to those people who protect us and look out for us 
every day, as we cross the street and the officers stop the traffic. 
There are so many things that we just take for granted. From the bottom 
of my heart, I thank them both, and their families as well.
  Last Friday, I was in my office until late. I instructed my staff to 
lock the doors, because we did not know how many shooters were there. 
We did not know how many shooters were out there. We did not know what 
was happening. I instructed them to lock the door and call their 
families and tell their families they were okay. When I called my 
mother, she said that certainly she was grateful that I called and that 
she could go to bed and her life would go on as usual but that the 
families of the people who were shot and the person who shot them would 
be forever changed. I express my sincere condolences to all of them and 
thank them for the sacrifice that they have made for us.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Traficant).
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, when I was sheriff, I had a deputy gunned 
down by the name of Sonny Litch. I want to commend the Democrat and 
Republican leaders of the House the way they have handled this tragedy, 
because transition to normalcy will be very difficult. On behalf of all 
the people of the 17th Congressional District of Ohio, I, too, want to 
join my colleagues in saluting and paying tribute to John Gibson and 
Jacob Chestnut.
  There are words to describe them. They are policemen, D.C. Capitol 
Police that, for many years, they were looked at as country club 
policemen, and it took this stark reality. Ladies and gentlemen, the 
Capitol Police are of the highest standards. John Gibson and Jacob 
Chestnut have just raised the bar for all policemen in America. They 
prevented any loss of life on their appointed duties except their own.
  But I want to tell and remind the Congress today, because I was to 
offer an amendment to an appropriation bill and I was asked to not do 
it this year, that the D.C. Capitol Police is paid less than the 
Uniformed Division of the Secret Service who perform the same duties. 
That is unbelievable to me. The suburbs are robbing us of our good 
young guys and women that qualify through the FBI scrutiny for 
background checks. We must change that. The Uniformed Division of the 
Secret Service is paid more.
  I salute John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut. They have raised the bar and 
the standards for all policemen in our country.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Boehner), our conference chairman.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, the afternoon of Friday, July 24, seemed 
just like another busy Friday afternoon in our Nation's Capitol. The

[[Page H6475]]

House had just concluded business for the week, Members were headed 
home, and my staff and I had huddled in the Capitol for a routine 
meeting to wrap things up for the week. What happened next was anything 
but routine; sad, tragic, heartbreaking. I do not think there is any 
description that quite does it justice.
  Capitol Police Officers J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson gave their 
lives stopping a deranged gunman who tried to blast his way into the 
people's Capitol. Working only a few dozen steps down the hall from 
Majority Whip Tom DeLay's office, my staff and I heard the shots. Like 
millions of others shaken by this tragic event, we feel we owe these 
two fallen heroes an almost unimaginable debt. Officers Chestnut and 
Gibson made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation in keeping the 
Capitol safe and accessible for about 22,000 people who come to our 
Capitol every day to have an opportunity for direct contact with their 
legislators. That kind of openness is unheard of in societies that 
place a lesser value on human freedom.

                              {time}  1945

  It is an important feature of American democracy that Officers 
Chestnut and Gibson gave their lives in its defense.
  Speaker Newt Gingrich spoke for all of us in recognizing their 
sacrifice and their grieving with the families when he said: ``These 
two gentleman are genuine heroes. They literally every day, knowingly 
and voluntarily, put their lives on the line. They understood that to 
be free, somebody had to be willing to take this risk.''
  The tragedy was an awful reminder that freedom inevitably comes with 
a price, a price that these two officers were willing to pay.
  And as the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) said emotionally 
just minutes afterwards: Freedom is not free. There is always a cost, 
and today it cost the lives of two security officers sworn to protect 
the safety of the people's House.
  Officers Chestnut and Gibson's mission was to keep the Capitol open 
and accessible to citizens while guarding against those who would bring 
violence to its sacred halls. Nobly and courageously they succeeded, 
and we must honor what they fought for by keeping the Capitol open and 
accessible and preserving the freedom they died valiantly to defend.
  America will never forget the sacrifice that these two officers and 
other law enforcement personnel, what they do every day in protecting 
our Capitol and our society as a whole, and we pray that the grieving 
families of those two fallen heroes will find comfort in knowing that 
freedom will be their loved one's enduring legacy. They gave their 
lives to protect it for all of us, and we thank them from the bottom of 
our hearts, and may their souls rest in peace.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Florida (Ms. Brown).
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, with profound sadness and great 
pride, I remember Special Agent John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut. 
To the families of these two heroes, we are incredibly grateful and 
fortunate to have had your fathers and your husbands protecting the 
people's House.
  While at home this weekend, constituents expressed to me time and 
time again the trauma of these events and their profound respect for 
those two men and all of the men and women protecting the people's 
House. I offer my prayers to these two families from thousands of 
families throughout Florida, and, Mr. Speaker, I would like to close by 
reading one of my favorite scriptures:
  ``Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in 
me.
  ``In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would 
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
  ``And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and 
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may also be.''
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues in 
paying tribute to two individuals who have given to this country their 
last measure of true devotion: Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson. They 
reinforce for us the fact that America, my country t'is of thee, is the 
land of the common woman and the common man. It is composed of people 
who struggle each and every day to make ends meet, put food on the 
table, provide for their loved ones.
  We often hear of the great leaders, star entertainers, athletes, 
musicians and others, but in a real sense history is made by ordinary 
people whose names are often unknown or forgotten. Mr. Gibson and Mr. 
Chestnut are indeed unsung heroes. They are part of a group of men and 
women who put their lives on the line each and every day. They are the 
people who have made America.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Seventh District 
of Illinois, I humbly salute these two heroes and pray for their 
families as we pray for America and as we relook at the gun laws and 
mental health needs of our country.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).
  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the minority whip for yielding this 
time to me.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my family and on behalf of the people of 
the First Congressional District of New Jersey, I rise to offer my 
condolences and thanks to the families of Officer Chestnut and 
Detective Gibson. They have given us many gifts in their lives, a gift 
of courage, a gift of discipline, ultimately the gift of their very 
lives.
  Let me also suggest that I believe they have given us a gift in 
death.
  I have had the privilege of standing in this Chamber for eight years, 
and I have never once felt the feeling that I feel here this evening of 
a truly collective broken heart of those of us who stand on this floor 
and those who serve their country and us around these environs. Their 
deaths have served to remind us that we are not Republican and 
Democrat, or liberal and conservative, or northerner or southerner; we 
are men and women, people bonded by the human spirit. Today that spirit 
is bruised and broken, but as they have given to us in their lives, I 
believe they will give to us in their deaths and hereafter a spirit of 
unity and cooperation.
  May God bless their families, and we thank them for their 
contribution.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter).
  (Mr. Hunter asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to add my condolences to the 
families of the officers.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Stokes).
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished minority leader 
for yielding this time to me.
  Mr. Speaker, on Friday, July 24, Capitol Hill witnessed a very tragic 
event. Two Capitol Hill Police officers were slain while serving in the 
line of duty. Capitol Hill Police Officer Jacob Chestnut and Special 
Agent John Gibson were fatally wounded by a lone gunman who attempted 
to shoot his way into the Capitol Building. Hundreds of tourists and 
hundreds of aids were undoubtedly saved from harm as these two police 
officers performed their duties.
  The loss of these two men was profound. Following the tragedy, many 
people used the term ``hero'' to describe Officer Chestnut and Special 
Agent Gibson. Many others were stunned by the sudden twist of events 
and were at a loss for words. Instead, they paused for a quiet moment 
of remembrance in honor of these two members of the Capitol Hill Police 
Force. The brave men and women who serve on the Capitol Hill Police 
Force are charged with protecting Members of Congress, Capitol Hill 
employees and tourists from around the world who visit our Nation's 
Capitol.
  Mr. Speaker, these brave men gave the ultimate sacrifice. We offer 
our condolences to their families.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt).
  Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, we all know why we are here and for whom the 
bells toll. When Jake Chestnut and John Gibson died, they died for all 
of us. And we live, we go on, we move freely about this Capitol because 
they did their duty, they did it without flinching, they did it at the 
price of their lives.

[[Page H6476]]

  They died for us, but they really died for something more. They died 
to keep this Capitol a place the people can come to and leave feeling 
this is their Capitol, the seat of their government.
  We pay a high price in dollars to keep this the most open Capitol in 
the world. On Friday we paid far more dearly. We lost the lives of two 
good men.
  It was not my privilege to know Mr. Gibson. I did know Mr. Chestnut. 
I knew the first minute I saw him, indeed sitting outside our 
conference committee room and noticed his name tag, that he was from 
South Carolina. He was professional from head to toe. He had a polished 
bearing about him, polished by 20 years in the Air Force. But beneath 
that polished bearing was a warm-hearted man.
  I know his family loved him because all of us who came in contact 
with him did. To their families we open our hearts. Officer Gibson died 
young, Officer Chestnut died before enjoying a well-earned retirement. 
But they raised the bar of duty, they left the country two shining 
examples of courage, and they helped make this Capitol the land of the 
free, the Capitol of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Mrs. Kennelly).
  Mrs. KENNELLY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, we gather to pay tribute 
tonight to the lives of the heroes who died on Friday, true heroes 
Officer J.J. Chestnut and Detective John Gibson.
  Like many of my colleagues, on Friday I had a hearing, I had 
meetings, I went back and forth to the Capitol, but I did not think 
about my safety. I certainly did not think about the safety of the 
tourists because I know that the Capitol Police are here, brave men and 
women sworn to protect those who come to this building to visit and all 
of us who work in this building.
  Tragically, I was right. Two of those individuals were on duty and 
were suddenly thrust into the most deadly of circumstances. That this 
building reopened on Saturday testifies to the awesome truth as they 
did their duty of protecting this building, they protected the liberty 
and freedom and democracy that it stands for.
  We gather tonight to pay this tribute to these men, and we feel so 
strongly and so sadly about their deaths, but we stand here tonight, 
all of us gathered today, in sympathy to say that we will make sure 
that their memories are kept by keeping this building the way they 
wanted it, a place of peace, a place of hope, a place of democracy.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my colleagues from both 
sides of the aisle in paying tribute to these fallen heroes, Capital 
Police Officers Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson, and in extending my 
deepest condolences to their families.
  As my colleague, the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), 
mentioned a little while ago, several of us were upstairs briefing the 
media after the votes in the House on Friday when the shooting 
happened. Capitol Police officers immediately came up to the press 
gallery to secure the area and make sure that we were safe.
  The death of these police officers hits me in a personal way because 
my father is a retired police officer. Every day that my father headed 
off to work, I knew that he was potentially putting himself in danger 
to keep our community safe. There was, of course, a sense of fear and 
concern for his safety that I felt, but I also felt a sense of pride. I 
knew he was doing an extremely important job, and I know that the men 
and women who serve here in this Capitol feel that same sense of pride 
and purpose.
  For the families of Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson, I just hope that 
the sense of loss that they are experiencing will be alleviated 
somewhat by the tributes today, and, Mr. Speaker, I hope that their 
sadness will be mitigated by the private knowing that Officers Chestnut 
and Gibson gave their lives to protect the lives of others.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Clement).
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, this is a sad time. J.J. Chestnut and John 
Gibson will always be remembered by the families and friends and all of 
us that love them and respect them.
  I grew up in a family where we had a lot of security around. My 
father was Governor of Tennessee in the 1950s and 1960s, and I have got 
a lot of appreciation for people that wear the uniform.
  And to those men: You have helped us protect freedom in the world 
because there is no building on the face of the Earth that is more 
recognized than the U.S. Capitol.
  Mr. Speaker, these two men put their life on the line for all of us. 
God bless Officer Chestnut and Officer Gibson.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from 
Rhode Island (Mr. Weygand).
  Mr. WEYGAND. Mr. Speaker, I thank the minority whip for yielding this 
time to me.
  It is times like this that we are reminded of the inadequacy of our 
language. How do we properly express our regret and sorrow to the wives 
of Officer J.J. Chestnut and Special Agent John Gibson at the loss of 
their husbands? How do we share with their children the appreciation we 
feel for the valor displayed by their fathers? How do we share with 
other officers of the Capitol Police Force our thanks and admiration at 
the bravery displayed by these two fine young men and their fellow 
officers, giving their lives so freely so that others would be saved?
  Thank you?
  I am sorry?
  Bravery?
  Courageous?
  Hero?
  All words pale in the face of the loss of a husband, a father, a 
colleague, a friend.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).
  Mr. GREEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
honoring Special Agent John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut. These 
two brave men gave their lives to save other Members, staff and 
tourists from the most vicious attack in recent memory. Special Agent 
Gibson and Officer Chestnut are truly American heroes and it is fitting 
that we honor their memory today.
  As the country unites to offer the families of these fallen heroes 
our condolences and prayers, I cannot begin to express my sorrow. The 
United States Capitol is a great example of freedom our country enjoys. 
No other country allows its citizens as much access to its government 
as the United States of America. I know everyone in this body 
appreciates and understands the importance of this freedom, and we 
thank Special Agent Gibson and Officer Chestnut for protecting us, our 
families, our friends, and our freedom from the evil and hatred the 
attacker carried within himself.
  The Book of John, Chapter 15, verse 13 states: Greater love has no 
man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. I believe 
this message has special meaning today and forever. As a father of two 
children, I cannot begin to understand the pain and heartache being 
felt by the Gibson and Chestnut families. I hope and pray that these 
deaths were not in vain, and we all join together to pray for them and 
their families.
  Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in honoring the memories of these 
two brave men. Our nation owes them a debt of gratitude that can never 
be repaid. July 24, 1998 will be remembered as a day of heroes at the 
United States Capitol and we must never forget the ultimate sacrifice 
Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson made for their country.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens).
  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, without excessive repetition, I would like to 
join my colleagues in the House to pay tribute to Officer J.J. Chestnut 
and Detective John Gibson who gave their lives dutifully protecting 
this hallowed institution.
  It is important that we all come together across party lines and 
across all other differences to pay homage to these two heroes. And as 
we pay tribute to the dead, let us also honor the other police and 
protective forces and other staff members whose reverence for this 
institution is no less than and sometimes even greater than the 
reverence of the elected members.
  In paying tribute to our defenders, we reaffirm the fact that this 
House of Representatives and the democratic process, this government 
belongs to all of the people. We reaffirm the fact that we are the 
guardians of a sacred process that takes place within the walls of this 
Capitol. This democratic process cannot survive without institutional 
support. The process and the institution have become inseparable.

[[Page H6477]]

  This is the great democratic process that guarantees our freedom and 
guides our progress. It is the process that inspired the bravery and 
the courage on the beaches of Normandy. It is the process that 
applauded and rewarded the returning World War II heroes with more than 
merely marches and medals; Congress, this institution passed the GI 
Bill that offered unprecedented educational opportunities to every 
veteran.
  This is the process and the institution that followed the leadership 
of the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln and passed the 13th, 14th 
and 15th amendments. This is the process and institution that, while 
mourning the death of John F. Kennedy, accepted the wise and forceful 
guidance of President Lyndon Johnson in the passage of the Civil Rights 
Act and the Voting Rights Act.
  This is a sacred place and a sacred process that must at all times be 
protected and defended. Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson 
instinctively understood the nature of our mission. The workings of 
this institution are more complex than the wiring and gadgets of any 
nuclear submarine. The impact of the results of what we conclude here 
has more explosive power and long range consequences than any rocket 
ever fired at NASA.
  To keep this institution relevant and capable of meeting the 
challenges of our rapidly changing and demanding world we need the 
elevator operators, the cleaning staff, the receptionists, the 
analysts, the secretaries, directors, chiefs of staff, coordinators, 
counsels, information specialists, administrative assistants; and yes, 
we need the detectives and the police; all are vitally necessary. A 
complicated world demands an intricate governmental infrastructure.
  The democratic process within this infrastructure must be protected 
because the twin monsters of insanity and violent savagery are always 
scratching at the door. In the last fifty years, the bullets of 
assassins have dramatically altered history in America: President John 
F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr.; Robert Kennedy; and the almost 
murdered President Ronald Reagan.
  Against the twin monsters of insanity and savagery we must do more 
than merely mourn the loss of our heroes. Most Americans can only 
grieve with the families of J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson. We, 535 
Members of Congress, can do much more.
  In paying tribute to these heroes, we Members of Congress should seek 
a solidarity across party lines and beyond the usual philosophical and 
ideological agendas. In defense of this great institution and to 
protect all vulnerable Americans, we must unite and act as one. Let 
this be a time of new reflections, new insight and new resolve to find 
ways to disarm the proliferating number of insane and savage assassins.
  The second amendment was designed to make us safe from tyranny, to 
bolster our sense of security. No well regulated militia should allow 
the rampant and random distribution of firearms among the populace. In 
the name of our Capitol heroes, Officer J.J. Chestnut and Detective 
John Gibson; and for the sake of the families of all similar victims, 
let us resolve as powerful decision makers, as Members of Congress, to 
end the escalating terror of handguns in America.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield our last minute to the distinguished 
chairman of our caucus, the gentleman from California (Mr. Fazio).
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with sadness in my 
heart to remember the two brave members of our Capitol Hill family who 
died in the line of duty last Friday. Officers Jacob Chestnut and John 
Gibson selflessly gave their lives protecting all of us and in the 
larger sense protecting our democracy. In the course of doing our daily 
business we may sometimes lose sight of the fact that the people who 
work on Capitol Hill share a special bond as Americans and as public 
servants.

                              {time}  2000

  It is what makes us a family. Like any family, we have our battles 
and our disagreements, but we also share in one another's joys and 
sorrows.
  Over the course of long days that are filled with issues of national 
importance, we often get caught up in the weight of our obligations to 
the people that we serve. We may even become a little jaded. But a 
quick walk through this awesome Capitol building reminds us of why we 
are here, all of us, elected and unelected.
  Every day thousands of tourists wander through these halls with us. 
They may watch some debate, they may peruse some of the historical 
displays placed throughout the buildings, or they may meet with their 
representatives. In short, they are literally taking part in this 
democratic experience.
  Throughout that experience, it is the Capitol Hill Police who help us 
do our job while they help the American people participate in their 
democracy. We have the rare privilege to conduct the people's business 
peacefully and safely, thanks to the hard work and dedication of this 
Capitol Hill Police Force.
  So as we lay these two courageous officers, these two loving family 
men to rest, we must remember that this Capitol Hill family is composed 
of a cross-section of hard working men and women brought together by a 
common interest in serving their country.
  Thank you, Jacob Chestnut; thank you, John Gibson. God bless you both 
and your families.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), the deputy minority 
whip.
  (Mr. EDWARDS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, with heartfelt sympathy to the families of 
Officers Chestnut and Gibson, I express my gratitude to them and their 
families for serving our country.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Bonior) has expired.
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey) has 2\1/2\ minutes remaining.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H. Con. Res. 311.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking all my colleagues for their 
contribution to this debate.
  Mr. Speaker, in a few short minutes we will have a vote. I feel it is 
a great honor to end this debate, and I would like to close this debate 
by daring to be presumptuous. We have heard from so many Members of 
Congress about these two fine officers, these two genuine heroes, 
Detective Gibson and Officer Chestnut. But dare I, Mr. Speaker, presume 
to speak on behalf of their associates and colleagues, fellow officers 
in the Capitol Hill Police Force?
  We would, first of all, realize that I am so little equipped to do 
that, Mr. Speaker; but they do not have access to this floor to speak 
on behalf of their colleagues, their friends, their fellow officers. In 
truth of fact, they knew these two men better than we. Officer Chestnut 
was for so many a mentor; Detective Gibson, so many times a friend to 
so many of the other officers.
  But if they could speak here today, and if they could speak about 
Detective Gibson and Officer Chestnut, I think all of the men and women 
of the Capitol Police would say, Mr. and Mrs. America, know our fallen 
comrades; know them, for they are we, and we are them. We served 
together, and we serve you. Come to the People's House from all corners 
of our great land; come to America and visit this hall of freedom; come 
and see; and we will welcome you, we will aid you, we will assist you, 
we will give you courteous advice, we will give you a helping hand. If 
there is danger, we will shield you. If there is discomfort, we will 
aid you. We will help you in each and every way we can to know that in 
America, where democracy is constructed in this great hall of Congress, 
the people are welcome, for the people truly own this place where we 
work.
  But then they would say, as you know Detective Gibson and as you know 
Officer Chestnut, know also that if you come here to disturb the peace, 
if you come here to trouble others, if you come here to trespass 
against freedoms or threaten the security of other people, you will be 
met with a well-trained and professional force, a force of disciplined 
officers of the law and a force of men and women who believe that 
Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson, by, first, their friendly 
service to so many people, and, then, finally, their dedicated 
protection of the rights of all, the safety of all, the security of 
all, Detective Gibson and Officer Chestnut are exemplary of who we are. 
We love this place, we love this Nation, we love the people of this 
great land, and we love the men and women who serve

[[Page H6478]]

here, and we will stand in service and protection for all who are on 
these properties.
  I think they would finally close with God bless you; God bless you, 
Detective Gibson; God bless you, Officer Chestnut. Well done.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, it is with great shock and sadness that I 
stand here to speak about the deaths of two fine officers who were so 
brutally shot down only a few feet from this Chamber on Friday 
afternoon. These heroes put their own lives on the line to save 
thousands of Capitol employees and visitors.
  My heart goes out to their families and their friends. I know that it 
must not be much consolation to know that they are heroes no longer 
with us when in reality we all would much rather have them with us, and 
because of them no tourists or workers died--if they hadn't been there 
it would have been much worse. Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson showed us 
that the Capitol is safely guarded and that it is safe for folks to 
walk, enjoy and learn about the ``People's House.''
  This unexpected and sudden tragedy apparently was the result of a 
disturbed individual. Unfortunately there is no way to make sure that 
Americans will not be exposed to such risk. However, I feel better 
walking the Halls of Congress on Capitol Hill knowing that officers of 
this dedication and ability are there to protect me, my constituents 
and my staff. The Capitol Hill Police Force should be commended for the 
bravery and efforts in the way that this very difficult situation was 
handled. Let us hope it will never have to be repeated.
  Ms. KILPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, July 24, 1998, a Congress, a 
City, a Nation was shaken to its very foundation. The people's house, 
the U.S. Capitol Building, was violated when two of Capitol Hill's 
finest were killed in the line of duty: Officer Jacob J. Chestnut and 
Special Agent John Gibson. The ultimate and supreme sacrifices of these 
officers prevented the deaths of untold other constituents, citizens, 
and colleagues. Not only do we owe the memory of these men and their 
families our thanks, but we owe them our eternal gratitude. We must 
ensure that their memory will live on forever.
  As a Member of the House Oversight committee, my colleagues and I 
have the duty to ensure that Congress remain accessible to all, and 
safe to ensure the democratic and timely debate of issues of the day. 
In our Committee rooms and offices, sometimes it is easy to forget the 
very difficult duty and burden that we place on the police officers of 
Capitol Hill everyday. Indeed, it is up to the officers of the Capitol 
Hill Police Department to carry out the orders and directions of the 
House Oversight Committee. These officers must allow our citizens to 
exercise their First Amendment right to freedom of speech, while 
ensuring that no ill will or harm befalls any individual person. The 
Capitol Hill Police Department has been doing a very difficult task 
extremely well for over 150 years. As a matter of fact, it is very easy 
to take for granted the safety and security of our Capitol, as many of 
my colleagues and I do everyday.
  As a result of the recent horror and tragedy, it is important that we 
remember that the U.S. Capitol belongs to all who love democracy, 
freedom and justice. I am sure that the House Oversight Committee will 
begin in all due haste to review the security and safety of the U.S. 
Capitol and its environs, keeping in mind the openness and freedom that 
separates the United States of America from all other nations in the 
world.
  Let us keep the families of Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson 
in our prayers. While I did not know Officer Chestnut and Special Agent 
Gibson personally, I do know of the fine work of many, many other of 
the other officers of the U.S. Capitol Police. The Bible says that no 
woman or man has a greater love than to lay down her or his life for 
their friends. The Bible also orders us to love our neighbor as 
ourselves. In the wake of this senseless loss, it is my desire and hope 
that all of us, Members of Congress and citizens alike, learn to care 
for our fellow human beings in the manner in which Officer Chestnut and 
Special Agent Gibson loved not only their jobs, but their families, 
their fellow officers, and their country.
  My prayers, as well as the prayers of the 15th Congressional District 
of Michigan, are with the families of these two fine men. You have made 
a difference in Congress: May they rest in peace.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I add my 
voice in tribute to the two fallen officers who lost their lives in 
performing their duty last Friday. This tragedy has brought us all 
together in grief as we remember the dedication of these two fine men, 
Officers Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson. They are the first Capitol 
Hill Police Officers to be killed in the line of duty and we owe it to 
them and their fellow officers to work to ensure that they are the 
last.
  However, we must also ensure that the public will continue to have 
access to the nation's Capitol for its historic significance and as the 
seat of the legislative branch of government. By not keeping this great 
building open to the some 23,000 people who visit it daily, we will be 
surrendering a part of our freedom and our heritage. Let me remind my 
colleagues that Officers Chestnut and Gibson died defending our freedom 
and our heritage.
  These deaths show us not only just how fragile life is, but also the 
invaluable service provided by those who put their life on the line as 
law enforcement officers. Let us never forget the sacrifice of these 
officers and those of everyone killed doing their duty. These two 
families and the entire nation have lost two outstanding individuals. I 
join in praying for their families and I extend to them by deepest 
sympathies.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
paying tribute to Detective John Michael Gibson and Private First Class 
Jacob Joseph Chestnut of the United States Capitol Police who lost 
their lives Friday, July 24, 1998 defending the United States Capitol, 
the tourists who visit it, and the Members and staff who serve there. 
It is thanks to their dedication to duty that an already tragic day did 
not result in additional loss of life. It is thanks to their heroism, 
and the heroism of their fellow United States Capitol Police Officers, 
that the People's House is and can remain open to the American people.
  Today, flags fly at half staff over the United States Capitol to 
honor the fallen officers. Officer Chestnut, an 18 year veteran of the 
U.S. Capitol Police, had served in the U.S. Air Force. Detective Gibson 
was an 8 year veteran who was assigned to the dignitary protection 
division of the Capitol Police. Both officers leave behind a wife and 
children, as well as countless family and friends. At this very 
difficult time, it is my hope that they will find some solace in 
knowing that their loved ones died protecting America's hard-won 
freedom. Of this, they can be proud.
  Friday's criminal act should not result in calls to close the Capitol 
and have Congress work away from the citizens it represents. Officer 
Chestnut and Detective Gibson gave their lives so the American people 
can visit their Capitol and see their Congress at work. The officers' 
sacrifice cannot have been made in vain.
  My thoughts and prayers, along with those of every Member of this 
House, are with the fallen officers and their families at this 
difficult time. Detective Gibson and Officer Chestnut served their 
country well. The service and heroism they displayed is exemplary, and 
we will always be thankful for the sacrifice they made.
  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in 
memorializing Capitol Police Detective John Gibson and Officer Jacob 
Chestnut. Officers Gibson and Chestnut made the supreme sacrifice to 
protect members of this body and our visitors. I extend my deepest 
condolence to their families and fellow officers.
  As many other Members have said, the Capitol Police are a part of our 
family. We see them every day, we exchange pleasantries, we come to 
know them by name. Hundreds of thousands of visitors interact with them 
every year. However, many of us rarely stop to think that members of 
the Capitol Police force face the very same dangers as officers in our 
largest cities. Unfortunately, it takes a tragedy to bring that reality 
home.
  The reality that the officers stationed throughout the complex can be 
confronted on any given day by an individual or group committed to 
harming Members and visitors. The reality that we live and work in a 
violent society--not in an isolated island. The reality that too many 
Americans believe that guns, rather than words, are the solution to 
their problems. The reality that not every one who visits the Capitol 
on a daily basis is here to experience how their government works.
  Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson understood the risks, they did 
not shrink from them. They acted as they were trained. As a result, 
they prevented one committed individual from inflicting much more 
damage. They have been called `genuine American heroes.' Like millions 
of other Americans, I share this sentiment. However, they are heroes 
not only for laying down their lives to protect others. They are heroes 
because they acted to preserve the openness that makes the House of 
Representatives different from any other legislative body on the face 
of the earth. I believe the best tribute to these heroes is to ensure 
that the House remains as accessible to the American people as 
possible.
  Mr. Speaker, Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson represent the very 
best qualities of America--commitment to public service, selflessness 
and courage. I am saddened that a tragedy, rather than the work they 
did every day, brings us to the floor tonight.
  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory and 
dedication of two of our finest public servants, officers Jacob 
Chestnut and John Gibson of the Capitol Police. These two men paid the 
ultimate sacrifice to see that the Capitol and its occupants could

[[Page H6479]]

conduct the business of democracy in the light of day, in plain view of 
the people.
  Mr. Speaker, I think it's important to remember these men as more 
than names on a plaque. John Gibson was an 18-year veteran who lived in 
Woodbridge, Virginia. He is married to the niece of one of our 
colleagues, Rep. Joseph Moakley. Compounding the tragedy of the death 
of John Gibson is the loved ones he leaves behind, his three children--
a 17-year-old daughter and two boys aged 15 and 14.
  A story from the newspaper tells us more about John Gibson, the man. 
He was regarded as a handyman around the neighborhood. John once 
ordered gravel to build a patio behind his house--only he ordered too 
much. There stood a big load of gravel dumped at his house. So, John 
ended up supplying the neighborhood with gravel. He did what any of us 
would do. He was just a regular guy.
  Jacob Chestnut--or ``JJ'' as his colleagues called him--was a 20-year 
Air Force veteran. He served in Vietnam. His neighbors knew him as a 
gardener who generously shared his latest crop of cucumbers or Chinese 
cabbage. Jacob Chestnut, who is survived by five children from his 
current and previous marriages, planned to retire soon and play golf 
and travel with his wife.
  As presidents and national heroes are honored, so are Officers 
Chestnut and Gibson. They acted with the highest courage. They 
performed their duty selflessly and prevented possible serious injury 
to scores of others. Officers Chestnut and Gibson are a testament to 
our national values and have earned the distinction of being national 
heroes.
  They, like other everyday heroes--the men and women of the Capitol 
Police force--conduct themselves with distinction so that we might do 
the business of the American people in the open and share with the 
public the workings of this wonderful institution and symbol of 
democracy.
  Mr. Speaker, these two men have been taken from our congressional 
family. We have suffered a grievous loss. May the Lord bless officers 
Chestnut and Gibson and their families and protect those who put their 
lives on the line every day so that we may live free.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues and the 
American people in paying tribute to two American heroes.
  On Friday afternoon, Capitol Police Officers J.J. Chestnut and John 
Gibson laid down their lives in defense of this building, in defense of 
the Members of this House, in defense of the thousands of tourists and 
staff members who work and visit here, and in defense of this country.
  J.J. Chestnut was a dedicated Capitol Police officer who came to work 
every day and did his job well. While I didn't know him personally--I 
was certainly very familiar with his face. Part of the ritual of being 
a Member of Congress is walking into this building and casting a vote. 
How many times have we walked past these officers? How often before 
Friday have we really stopped to think about the sacrifices they make?
  I personally knew John Gibson as the husband of Congressman Moakley's 
niece. I had the privilege of working for Cong. Moakley for 13 years, 
and during that time I got to know John Gibson as a family man, as a 
Massachusetts native, and as a life-long Red Sox fan.
  You know, a lot of people have remarked about John Gibson's ``Boston 
accent,'' and how strange they thought it was. But I'll tell you, to 
me, listening to John talk served as a reminder of home.
  Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 
6-3. I'd like to think that somewhere, John Gibson is looking at that 
box score and smiling.
  I also want to say a few words of appreciation and admiration for the 
response of the entire Capitol Police force, who with professional 
efficiency and control, ensured that Members of Congress, congressional 
staff and tourists were safe and secure, either inside the Capitol or 
outside on the grounds as soon as the call went out that a gunman was 
loose in the Capitol Building.
  I join the American people in mourning for these two brave men. I 
extend my sympathies to their families, friends and loved ones. And I 
express my respect for the Capitol Police force who work every day to 
ensure that the American people may safely visit and work within the 
nation's Capitol.
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, on Friday afternoon, July 24, 1998, tragedy 
struck the Nation's Capitol. A lone gunman burst through an entrance of 
the Capitol building, fatally wounding two Capitol Police officers who 
saved the lives of so many through their own bravery.
  Two of the finest members of our Capitol Hill family were shot and 
killed in the line of duty. Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson 
gave their lives defending Congress and its visitors from a gunman who 
savagely discharged his weapon on anyone who stepped in his way. 
Officer Chestnut was the first to be shot as he vigilantly guarded his 
post. After the gunman shot and wounded a fleeing tourist, he crashed 
into Majority Whip DeLay's office, shooting and mortally wounding 
Special Agent Gibson.
  The actions of this man were reprehensible, but they were also the 
actions of a very disturbed person. Officers Gibson and Chestnut 
displayed a heroism and bravery which we should all be proud and 
thankful for as Americans and members of the Capitol Hill family.
  Officers Gibson and Chestnut gave their lives in order to save the 
lives of so many others who were in harm's way. My thoughts and prayers 
go out to both families as well as to the United States Capitol Police, 
as I am sure the past few days have been very trying times. It is a 
comforting feeling to know that we are all being guarded by such a 
competent, dedicated, and brave group of officers.
  Mr. MANTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in 
commemorating our valiant Capitol Police Officers who gave their lives 
in the line of duty. Officer J.J. Chestnut and Special Agent John 
Gibson will have our undying gratitude and remembrance for making the 
greatest sacrifice in serving their country. Our prayers and best 
wishes go out to their family and friends.
  Mr. Speaker, as a former New York City police officer, my sadness and 
pain at this senseless loss is difficult to put into words. Once you 
have worn the uniform, you become part of an extended family for the 
rest of your life. And, while you know firsthand the senseless violence 
that occurs all too often in our country today, you still feel very 
personally each and every loss of a member of that ``thin blue line'' 
that serves to protect every one of us.
  Mr. Speaker, these slain officers were heroes in the truest sense of 
the word. Not because of unusual feats, but because they died simply as 
a result of doing the job we ask them to do. We all are indebted to 
Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson for their sacrifice. We offer 
our sincerest condolences to their families. And, we all owe the 
members of the Capitol Police Force our respect and admiration for the 
work they do, each and every day.
  In closing, I believe it was President Theodore Roosevelt, who wrote, 
``Death is always and under all circumstances a tragedy, for if it is 
not, then it means that life itself has become one.''
  Mr. Speaker, let us here today swear that the tragedy our extended 
congressional family experienced last Friday shall always remind us of 
the value of life; of the valiant work of our Capitol Police Force; and 
of the need to be vigilant against the pointless violence that, sadly, 
pervades our society.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deep and sincere 
condolences to the families of Officer Jacob Chestnut and Special Agent 
John Gibson.
  Those of us who are privileged to work on Capitol Hill feel as if we 
are part of a very large and extended family. Officer Chestnut and 
Special Agent Gibson were vital parts of that family.
  If the Capitol Police did not perform their jobs so professionally, 
they would be better known. Unfortunately, in today's society, we seem 
to focus on the negative rather than on the positive. But the Capitol 
Police do an excellent job and so the American people are not familiar 
with these dedicated men and women who patrol the United States Capitol 
grounds day and night.
  Our nation's Capitol, the most recognizable symbol of freedom and 
democracy in the world, is also one of the most accessible government 
buildings in the world. Visitors from across our nation and the globe 
marvel at the ease with which they can sit in the gallery and watch the 
inner workings of Congress. They walk in awe throughout this grand and 
historic building. Yet, it is the dedication and professionalism of the 
Capitol Police which makes this access to the Capitol possible.
  A few months ago, there was a fire in the Longworth Building. The 
fire alarm didn't go off on every floor, so Capitol Police officers ran 
up and down the stairs going into each office to remove people from 
harm's way. A few officers suffered smoke inhalation as they risked 
themselves to do their duty.
  Every summer we read about tourists overcome by the heat, collapsing 
on the Capitol grounds, only to receive swift and needed care from 
Capitol police.
  Every day we see the Capitol Police direct traffic to ease the 
morning and evening commute. We see them giving tourists directions and 
helping lost children find their parents.
  They patrol our corridors and insure order and safety in our nation's 
most important public building.
  When I think about the choice which Officers Chestnut and Gibson made 
to serve the public as police officers, I am reminded of what 
Thucydides once said, ``the bravest are surely those who have the 
clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet 
notwithstanding, go out and meet it.''
  As I offer my sympathy to the families of these two fallen heroes, I 
am also reminded of

[[Page H6480]]

what the Bible says, ``No greater love has a man, than he lay down his 
life for another.''
  Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, this is a difficult and solemn time in the 
House of Representatives. It is a day in which our thoughts and prayers 
are with the families of the two heroic members of the Capitol Police 
force who lost their lives last Friday, Officers Jacob Chestnut and 
John Gibson. They were part of our family here in the House and all of 
us today are experiencing the emotions of a death in the family. These 
were well-liked and well-regarded men whose jobs it was to protect the 
institution of the House and the people who serve in it. And in 
protecting us, they sacrificed their lives to save the lives of many 
others working and visiting the Capitol building. Despite the many 
words expressed in the House and Senate today, there can be no tribute 
grand enough to express our true appreciation for the selfless actions 
of John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut. To their families, we owe a great 
debt of gratitude and we, as an institution, will never forget their 
placing their sense of duty above personal safety.
  It is my hope, Mr. Speaker, that the Members of this body will focus 
on the important messages that flow from this tragic incident. First, I 
believe it is important that we recognize how capable and well-trained 
the members of the Capitol Police Force are. We see them everyday in 
many of their diverse roles, but when called upon to respond quickly to 
life-threatening situations, the force reacted swiftly and superbly, 
preventing an even more tragic result. As we seek to learn the lessons 
of this incident, it is abundantly clear that the people in charge of 
the mission of protecting this Congress are indeed quite capable and 
well-trained.
  There may be security enhancements that can be accomplished to make 
this important public building even safer for the millions of visitors 
who come here each year. Certainly we must consider all the suggestions 
that flow from the thorough analysis of the shooting incident last 
week, including new physical protection measures and procedures that 
may guard against new and different threats here at the Capitol. Let me 
echo the sentiments of many of my colleagues here today, however, in 
expressing my personal hope that whatever security improvements may be 
implemented, they should preserve--to the greatest extent possible--
this building's character as the ``People's House,'' one which 
Americans from across the land can enter to view their representative 
government in action. Though we may be able to make the United States 
Capitol Building safer, I believe we should be careful to understand 
the actual and symbolic needs for access.
  There is perhaps another message here, Mr. Speaker, relevant to this 
individual who crashed through the security station at the East Front 
of the Capitol last Friday. While all of the facts and motivations may 
not be clear to us at this early time, the interviews of his family 
convincingly demonstrate that Russell Eugene Weston was unstable, with 
a long history of mental illness. I believe that this incident calls 
into question the way in which potentially dangerous mentally-unstable 
individuals are ignored until they cause harm to themselves or to 
others, and certainly this must cause some re-evaluation. If we are too 
quick to release mentally-ill individuals like this from institutions, 
we must at the same time recognize that the result will be additional 
challenges for law enforcement--though hopefully never with such a 
tragic result as occurred last Friday.
  So, Mr. Speaker, let me join all of my colleagues in bowing our heads 
in solemn memory of Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson today, and to remark 
that any honor we can bestow upon them will pale in relation to the 
sacrifice they have made for us.
  Mr. COYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
mourning the deaths of Capitol Police officers John Gibson and Jacob 
Chestnut, and in recognizing the dangers and challenges that members of 
the Capitol Police force face every day.
  The Capitol complex is a large, busy place in the middle of a busy 
metropolitan area. As the seat of democratic self-government in this 
country--and as a symbol of democracy around the world--the Capitol is 
an obvious target for terrorists, as well as distinguished or mentally 
unbalanced individuals. In fact, as others have observed in recent 
days, the Capitol building has been the target of violent acts several 
times before in this century.
  Despite the obvious concern about security, Congress has consistently 
decided--quite correctly in my opinion--that a high priority should be 
placed on keeping the Capitol complex as open to visitors and observers 
as possible. Congress and the Capitol Police have to constantly weigh 
security concerns against the need for openness. The outcome is 
inevitably a delicate balance, but Congress has wisely decided to 
preserve the public's access to the Capitol.
  The Capitol Police force has the difficult mission of maintaining 
security in the Capitol complex while allowing thousands of visitors 
into its buildings each day. The Capitol Police go on duty each day 
never knowing when they may be attacked or drawn into some deadly 
confrontation. Despite this risk and uncertainty, they provide 
courteous service to the thousands of people who visit the Capitol each 
day while protecting the Capitol, its occupants, and visitors.
  This Nation has been fortunate in the relatively small number of 
violent attacks that have been made on the President, Congress, and our 
federal employees. But every so often, as in the bombing of the Murrah 
Office Building in Oklahoma City or the terrible events that took place 
here in the Capitol on Friday, a violent attack does take place.
  A natural human response is to say how could this happen--why 
couldn't something have been done to prevent it? Sadly, such tragic 
events are inevitable in a free society. We can work to make such 
events more infrequent, but we can not eliminate them. As this sad 
event reminds us, the benefits of a free society come only at a high 
price. These two fine Capitol Police officers, who died in the line of 
duty, gave their lives to preserve that freedom. They also gave their 
lives to protect the lives of the hundreds of other people who were in 
the Capitol Building at the time the gunman opened fire. Their 
sacrifice will not go unnoticed.
  On behalf of the people of Pennsylvania's 14th Congressional 
District, I extend my heart-felt sympathy and deepest condolences to 
the families of these two American heroes. And I want to express my 
gratitude and appreciation to the men and women of the Capitol Police 
force, who--like Officers John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut--carry out 
their duties day in and day out with courage, dedication, and skill.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, it is with a tremendous sense of loss and 
sadness that I rise today to express my sincere condolences to the 
families and friends of Detective John Gibson and Capitol Police 
Officer Jacob Chestnut, and to their colleagues in the Capitol Police.
  I'd also like to offer my sincerest gratitude to all of our Capitol 
Hill security personnel, who each and every day risk their lives for us 
and whom we oftentimes take for granted. Thank you for your service, 
your commitment, and your valor.
  Detective Gibson was truly an officer's officer: his work exemplified 
the truest meaning of service. He is remembered by colleagues, friends, 
and neighbors alike as someone who would do whatever he could to help, 
someone who made people feel safe.
  Officer Chestnut was a stalwart of service and professionalism. He 
always exhibited genuine kindness and gentleness to all of us who were 
privileged to know him. My family and I remember his assistance during 
my swearing-in ceremony, his incredible kindness, his guidance, his 
tremendous warmth.
  These two heroes gave their lives in the line of duty protecting 
their fellow citizens. They leave behind families, friends, co-workers, 
communities, and Americans who will never forget their commitment and 
their sacrifice. Their passing leaves a void that will never be filled. 
We join with the families to remember special times and, in doing so, 
Detective John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut will have a permanent 
place in our hearts. May they rest in peace.
  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Con. Res. 311 to honor the two Capitol Security officers, Jacob 
Chestnut and John Gibson, who gave their lives last Friday in service 
to our nation. I offer my deepest sympathy to their families.
  I also honor all of the other law enforcement personnel throughout 
the nation who put their lives on the line each day for the safety of 
our nation's citizens.
  The Capitol Police responded to this situation swiftly and 
effectively. They told the staffers and tourists what to do during the 
melee and comforted them afterwards. They shielded people and saved 
lives. I would like to extend a thank you to all of these officers.
  I would like to share an editorial printed in the Kansas City Star on 
Monday, July 27, 1998. This editorial honors Officers Chestnut and 
Gibson, as well as the other dedicated security personnel across the 
country who are committed to protecting all of us.
  The shooting deaths of two police officers in the U.S. Capitol are a 
tragic reminder that thousands of law enforcement and security 
personnel put their lives on the line every day so that the rest of 
society can go on about its business.
  All too often their willingness to put themselves at risk is taken 
for granted. But as events inside the Capitol demonstrated last week, 
these brave men and women may be called upon at a moment's notice to 
protect hundreds of innocent people from harm.
  One day something goes wrong--an alarm goes off, a suspicious figure 
rushes by, shots ring out in a hallway--and suddenly their years of 
training and experience, their sheer speed in determining what must be 
done and

[[Page H6481]]

their courage in doing it, become absolutely critical.
  Capitol Police Officers Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson, who 
sacrificed their lives in the line of duty on Friday, will be 
remembered by thousands of friends and colleagues in Washington and by 
millions of people across the country for their heroism.
  Chestnut was shot while attempting to protect an entrance to the 
Capitol. Hearing shots, Gibson ordered the people around him to get 
down to protect themselves. He then confronted the gunman and was 
fatally wounded. But the dying officer fired on the gunman, saving 
government officials and tourists from harm.
  It appears that the gunman was someone suffering from a mental 
illness that included bizarre delusions--someone who, fearing trouble 
with the government, traveled across the country to find that trouble.
  But in the midst of Friday's crisis, Officers Chestnut and Gibson did 
not know who he was. These Capitol Police veterans simply knew that one 
of the central institutions of the U.S. government was under attack--
and they found themselves on the front line of its defense. They did 
their duty without hesitation, and for that the entire nation honors 
them.
  As the work week begins, many Americans will feel an extra measure of 
respect and appreciation for the many other police officers and 
security personnel who stand guard in government buildings and private 
offices around the country.
  As the result of this tragedy, the already elaborate security system 
on Capitol Hill will be reviewed. Perhaps some changes will be made.
  But as President Clinton and other officials have indicated, it would 
be a mistake to reject the commitment that has been made to keep the 
Capitol so accessible to the public.
  Many other public places, after all,have been targeted by sick 
individuals and terrorists. Reasonable steps must be taken to 
discourage such violence. But we should not allow fear to dominate our 
lives, either at home or in our nation's capital city.
  Given the visibility of the Capitol as a symbol of the government, 
and the thousands of people who move through it on a daily basis, the 
overall security record there appears solid; this was reported to be 
the first shooting in the building in decades.
  Brave, dedicated people like Officers Chestnut and Gibson have been 
at the heart of that system. They will always play the critical role in 
protecting American institutions from confused individuals and those 
who wish our nation harm.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues in 
paying tribute to two individuals who have given to this country their 
last measure of devotion, Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson. They 
reinforce for us the fact that America, ``My country Tis of Thee,'' is 
the land of the common woman and the common man. It is composed of 
people who struggle each and every day to make ends meet, put food on 
the table and provide for their loved ones. We often hear of the great 
leaders, star entertainers, athletes, musicians and others. But in a 
real sense history is made by ordinary people whose names are often 
forgotten or unknown.
  Mr. Gibson and Mr. Chestnut are indeed unsung heroes. They are part 
of a group of men and women who put their lives on the line each and 
every day. They are the people who have made America, and so, Mr. 
Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Seventh District of Illinois, I 
humbly salute these two heroes and pray for their families as we pray 
for America. And as we re-look at the gun laws and mental health needs 
of our country.
  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Officer J.J. 
Chestnut and Special Agent John Gibson who were tragically slain in the 
line of duty this past Friday. Words do little to reveal the sense of 
gratitude we feel for their heroic actions or the sense of loss 
accompanied with their passing. Few of us could ever hope to equal the 
level of courage displayed by these individuals. My thoughts and 
prayers go out to their families and friends in this time of great 
sorrow.
  While we mourn the loss of these two fine officers, we must also pay 
homage to all members of the Capitol Police Force. These brave men and 
women perform their duties with smiles and kind words, always standing 
at the ready to put themselves in harm's way if danger calls. 
Unfortunately on Friday, danger did call. Without regard for personal 
safety, they responded to the situation shielding Members, staff and 
visitors from harm, losing two of their own in the process. I thank 
them for their selflessness, their sense of duty and their courage. I 
extend to them my great sympathy on the loss of their comrades and my 
hope that such condolences are never again required.
  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, last Friday's tragedy continues to haunt our 
Capitol Hill community and our Nation. For those of us who work every 
day under the protection provided by the Capitol Police, it is 
particularly disturbing and saddening. My condolences and prayers go 
out to the family members and friends of Officers J.J. Chestnut and 
John Gibson. Without Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson, more 
lives would have been lost on Friday. They are heroes in every sense of 
the word and deserve our deepest gratitude for their ultimate 
sacrifice.
  One can only wish that the heroism and bravery of the Capitol Police 
force could have been brought to our Nation's attention under less 
tragic circumstances. The Capitol Police officers are our friends and 
colleagues. The protection of freedom is a goal we share with them. 
They work to ensure that Members of Congress can do their jobs without 
fear of intimidation or harm. On a more personal note, I have the 
highest appreciation for the Capitol Police for the assistance they 
have provided to me and my staff with great skill, courtesy, and 
professionalism.
  Few of us are asked to risk our lives in the performance of our daily 
job duties. All of our Nation's law enforcement officers face that risk 
of death every day. Each day, they leave their homes and families to go 
to work, knowing that they might not return home. They accept the risk 
of death as the price of our freedom and our ability to live in a 
peaceful society. Because of their courageous selflessness, they do all 
of this without hesitation or complaint.

  For elected Members, our support staff, and the Capitol Police 
officers, Capitol Hill is our workplace and, in many cases, at least 
our part-time neighborhood. This tragedy hits close to home for all of 
us. We all have walked countless times in the area where the shootings 
occurred. We have taken our families, friends, and constituents on 
tours that pass through that part of the Capitol, as have our staff 
members and interns. One of my staff members, Melissa Palarea, was 
taking a group of constituents through that area as the shooting broke 
out. We feel fortunate that neither Melissa, nor the people she was 
escorting, were injured. We feel a heightened awareness of how quickly 
and unpredictably lives can be lost.
  The Capitol is ``the people's house.'' There is no more recognizable 
symbol of democracy than the dome and the flags flying in the wind over 
each wing--a signal that the House and the Senate are in session as we 
seek to represent our diverse society.
  One of the hallmarks of our democracy is the right of all Americans 
to come to Washington, meet with their Representatives and Senators, 
and watch the proceedings of Congress in person. That spirit of open 
government was violated on Friday. As we mourn the loss of Officer 
Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson and help their families in every 
possible way, we must also continue the openness of the symbols of 
democracy they died to protect.
  Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, this is a somber and solemn day for 
Congress and our Nation. Our Capitol Hill family has suffered great 
loss with the deaths of Officers Jacob ``J.J.'' Chestnut and John 
Gibson. The entire country was both shaken by violence at our Capitol 
and inspired by the ultimate heroism of these two men.
  Mr. Speaker, how can we adequately thank our heroes? How do we 
comfort their wives and children who suffered the ultimate loss?
  I have no answers to those questions, Mr. Speaker. I only know that 
we owe two law enforcement heroes more than words can express. I hope 
everyone listening will pray tonight for the families and friends of 
these two brave fallen officers.
  As Co-Chair of the House Law Enforcement Caucus, I know that 
senseless tragedies are not new. Since our nation's founding, nearly 
15,000 police officers have been killed in the line of duty. Their 
names are etched in the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers 
Memorial, just blocks from here. Sadly, we now know two new names that 
will be added to the wall next year.
  In this Capitol, we are protected by nearly 1,300 sworn officers and 
security aides. Their presence is so steady and reassuring that at 
times people have forgotten to notice. And the Capitol Police are 
joined by hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers across 
America, who get up each morning and put on their badge, committing to 
protect people whose names they may never know. They have taken an oath 
to die for us. They are all American heroes. I am humbled to call them 
both my protectors and my friends.
  If the events of last week hold any lesson, it is this: we must never 
take these courageous men and women for granted. They deserve our 
thanks, every opportunity we get.
  J.J. and John will be remembered for the way they died, and also for 
the way they lived. They make us want to be better people. The greatest 
tribute we can offer these men is to have the same single-minded focus 
on our jobs in this great building, the People's House.
  Remembering how Officers Gibson and Chestnut worked together to 
protect the People's House, I hope we will work together in a

[[Page H6482]]

bipartisan way to make our country a safer place for all.
  I hope, too, that the legacy of Officers Chestnut and Gibson will be 
a Capitol that is open and accessible to the people to which it 
belongs. That is what they would have wanted. That is why they made the 
ultimate sacrifice.
  Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Officers Chestnut and Gibson. 
You will always be remembered in these halls, and especially in our 
hearts. You are true American heroes, and we will miss you.
  Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to mourn the loss of two 
members of our American and our Capitol families--Jacob Chestnut and 
John Gibson.
  Their names are quickly becoming synonymous with the word ``hero,'' 
and rightly so. These two men, and the entire Capitol Police force, 
daily summon the courage to stand in defense of lawmakers, staffers, 
tourists--every one of us--along with this bastion of American 
Democracy we call the United States Capitol.
  Friday that dedication was put to the test. Jacob Chestnut and John 
Gibson did not waiver. They laid down their lives in defense of this 
Capitol and all it represents in the hearts of every American.
  Jacob and John, I only wish that you were here with us today, to hear 
how grateful our nation is to you both for protecting our democracy. We 
are grateful for your dedicated public service to our country, your 
valor, and your courage.
  As Rollo May has said, ``courage is not a virtue or value among other 
personal values. It is the foundation that underlies and gives reality 
to all other virtues and personal values.'' Your courage on Friday and 
throughout your careers is a symbol for all law enforcement officials, 
public officials, and every citizen to follow.
  Mrs. Chestnut--Mrs. Gibson--my prayer and condolences go out to you 
and your families. And my prayers and gratitude go out to the entire 
Capitol Hill police force during this difficult time of grieving. God 
bless you and God bless every one of us.
  Mr. SANFORD. Mr. Speaker, my father always taught me that there was 
no higher calling than to do your duty. In the words of Robert E. Lee, 
``Duty, there is the sublimist word in our language. Do your duty in 
all things . . . You cannot do more, you should never wish to do 
less.''
  A few great Americans have had the honor of lying in state in the 
Capitol Rotunda. They have ranged from President Abraham Lincoln to the 
unknown soldiers of the wars of this century. But few Americans have 
done their duty to their country better than the two officers we are 
honoring here.
  These two Americans represent the best in our nation's values. They 
were both devoted family men, leaders in their churches and 
neighborhoods, and always ready with a kind word and a smile. I cannot 
regret more the sacrifice that gained them fame, but we cannot do 
better as examples to hold before our children.
  I am honored that Officer Chestnut comes from Myrtle Beach, SC. He 
grew up among the palmetto trees and beaches, and some of his family 
remains there to this day. Officer Chestnut will never get to use the 
new golf clubs that his brother gave him for his retirement next month. 
However, his sacrifice, and that of Special Agent Gibson, will remain a 
legacy that his family can turn to for comfort in the years ahead.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert in the Record a copy of the 
editorial from this morning's Myrtle Beach Sun-News:

                 Jacob J. Chestnut, True American Hero

       The death of a front-line hero in the cause of freedom and 
     democracy crashes around us all the harder because it is 
     supposed to be peacetime. The firing of bullets in the 
     Capitol on Friday, apparently triggered by a shooter's 
     unhinged response to a directive to get back in a metal 
     detector queue, makes death more unexpected than on a war's 
     battlefield, but no less tragic.
       Such is it with Capitol Police Officer Jacob J. ``J.J.'' 
     Chestnut, who lived in Maryland with his family but who, 
     according to his family, called Myrtle Beach home. Chestnut 
     died in the line of duty, attempting to create at his Capitol 
     post what precious little safety there can be in a democracy 
     that prides itself on openness.
       If this were a police state--God forbid!--Officer Chestnut 
     might have had a chance to survive because there would not 
     have been an entrance for the public to what is called ``the 
     people's house.'' But after 20 years in the Air Force and 18 
     in the Capitol Police, nearing a second retirement, Chestnut 
     would not have stood for anything less than freedom of 
     movement, within few guidelines.
       This is a man who must have sincerely understood from its 
     benefits what freedom is all about. He must have relished the 
     ability to enjoy what the government has provided through its 
     institutions and its lasting policies. This is a man who 
     enjoyed his family, close to him in Maryland and Myrtle 
     Beach, where he doted on kinship.
       In praising Chestnut and Capitol Police Special Agent John 
     Gibson, who also died in the shooter's fusillade, President 
     Clinton argued, ``I ask you to think about what our Capitol 
     means . . . We must keep it a place where people can freely 
     and proudly walk the halls of their government. And we must 
     never, ever take for granted the values for which it stands 
     or the price of preserving them.''
       Added Speaker Newt Gingrich, ``No terrorist, no deranged 
     person, no act of violence will block us from preserving our 
     freedom and from keeping this building open.''
       Those are among the values for which Officer Chestnut died. 
     He knew they were worth it. We sympathize with his family, 
     but glory in his heroism. We here in Myrtle Beach must find a 
     way to honor for all time the officer, this man.
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, while carrying out their duties, more than 
150 police officers are killed every year--a rate of one death every 52 
hours. And, every year, more than 65,000 police officers are assaulted 
and 23,000 injured.
  On Friday, those statistics were brought close to home when, 
tragically, Officers J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson were killed in the 
line of duty. These brave men died protecting the lives of the Members 
of Congress, staff and those who were visiting the Capitol. Our 
thoughts and prayers are with the families of both officers, and with 
their friends and colleagues in the U.S. Capitol Police.
  The Capitol is known around the world as the symbol of democracy. It 
has been called the ``People's House''--a place where citizens can 
freely come to meet with their elected officials and watch democracy at 
work. Officers Chestnut and Gibson died protecting our right to have a 
free and open democratic form of government. All Americans, not just 
those who work in the Capitol, have suffered a loss.
  In the area I represent, we are sadly familiar with the sacrifices 
that law enforcement officers make far too often. Last December, we 
lost two distinguished members of Cincinnati's police department--
Officer Daniel Pope and Specialist Ronald Jeter--in a senseless act of 
violence. Just a month later, Officer Mike Partin of the Covington (KY) 
police department was killed while pursuing a suspect who was 
attempting to escape into Cincinnati.
  Shortly after their deaths, I visited the National Law Enforcement 
Officers Memorial here in Washington to lay a wreath in their memory. 
The Memorial, which was dedicated in 1991, contains the names of more 
than 14,000 American police officers who have died in the line of duty 
since the first recorded police death in 1794.
  There is a quote inscribed on the memorial that is a fitting tribute 
to Officers Gibson and Chestnut--and all law enforcement professionals 
who have given their lives in service to the public. It reads, ``It is 
not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is now they 
lived.''
  These fallen U.S. Capitol Police officers--and their colleagues 
nationwide--deserve our respect and support for putting their lives on 
the line every day to protect the safety of all of us.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in paying deepest 
respect and highest tribute to Officers Jacob ``J.J.'' Chestnut and 
John Gibson, who gave their lives last Friday afternoon in the tragic 
shootings just a few short steps from the House chamber.
  Both of these fine officers--like the other men and women who serve 
as members of the Capitol Police force--are committed to preserving and 
protecting the security of those of us who serve as Members of 
Congress, our staff, and the public who have, and should continue to 
have, access to the U.S. Capitol building.
  Mr. Speaker, last Saturday morning following the tragic death of 
these two brave men, President Clinton paid outstanding tribute to 
these fine police officers and made a powerful restatement of the 
importance of our Capitol building as a symbol of our nation's 
democratic government. As the President said, this ``majestic marble 
building is the symbol of our democracy and the embodiment of our 
nation. We must keep it a place where people can freely and proudly 
walk the halls of their government. And we must never, ever take for 
granted the values for which it stands or the price of preserving 
them.''
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that the full text of President Clinton's remarks 
be placed in the Record.

          [From the White House Briefing Room, July 25, 1998]

       The President: Good morning. The shooting at the United 
     States Capitol yesterday was a moment of savagery at the 
     front door of American civilization. Federal law enforcement 
     agencies and the United States Attorneys Office are working 
     closely with the D.C. police and the Capitol police to ensure 
     that justice is pursued.
       Meanwhile, I would ask all Americans to reflect for a 
     moment on the human elements of yesterday's tragedy. The 
     scripture says, Greater love hath no man than this: that he 
     lay down his life for his friends. Officer Jacob ``J.J.'' 
     Chestnut and Detective John Gibson laid down their lives for 
     their friends, their co-workers, and their fellow citizens--
     those whom they were sworn to protect. In

[[Page H6483]]

     so doing, they saved many others from exposure to lethal 
     violence.
       Every day, a special breed of men and women pin on their 
     badges, put on their uniforms, kiss their families good-bye, 
     knowing full well they may be called on to lay down their 
     lives. This year alone, 79 other law enforcement officers 
     have made the ultimate sacrifice. Every American should be 
     grateful to them for the freedom and the security they guard 
     with their lives, and every American should stand up for them 
     and stand against violence.
       Officer Chestnut was a Vietnam veteran, a member of the 
     Capitol Police for 18 years, just months away from 
     retirement. Detective Gibson was a deeply religious man, 
     beloved by his co-workers, and, being from Massachusetts, 
     devoted to the Red Sox and the Bruins. Both leave behind 
     loving wives and children, the affection of neighbors, 
     friends, and co-workers, and the deep gratitute of those who 
     are alive today because of their bravery.
       In this one heartless act, there were many acts of heroism, 
     by strangers who shielded children with their bodies, by 
     officers who fanned across the Capitol, by Dr. Bill Frist, a 
     renowned heart surgeon before his election to the Senate from 
     Tennessee, who had just put down his gavel when he rushed to 
     tend the injured. To all these and others who stood for our 
     common humanity, we extend the thanks of our nation.
       To the families of Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson, 
     nothing we say can bring them back. But all Americans pray 
     that the power of a loving God and the comfort of family and 
     friends will, with time, ease your sorrow and swell your 
     pride for loved ones and the sacrifice they made for their 
     fellow citizens. To Angela Dickerson, the young woman who was 
     injured in the shooting, we extend our prayers and hope for 
     your speedy recovery.
       To every American who has been shaken by this violent act, 
     to the millions of parents who have taken your children 
     through those very same doors, I ask you to think about what 
     our Capitol means. All around the world, that majestic marble 
     building is the symbol of our democracy and the embodiment of 
     our nation. We must keep it a place where people can freely 
     and proudly walk the halls of their government. And we must 
     never, ever take for granted the values for which it stands 
     or the price of preserving them.
       Thank you very much.

  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. Speaker, last Friday, Capitol Police Officers John 
Gibson and Jacob Chestnut were tragically killed in the line of duty 
protecting Members of Congress, staff and tourists. Officers Gibson and 
Chestnut are heroes in every sense of the word. These brave, selfless 
men gave their lives protecting the very foundation of our democracy--
the People's House.
  Officers Chestnut and Gibson's heroism and sacrifice will not be 
forgotten by a grateful Nation. We are forever in their debt as 
individuals, as Members of Congress, and as an institution. It is a 
debt that can never be repaid but one that is now enshrined in the very 
fabric of our democracy and in the hallowed halls of Congress.
  Since the shocking and bloody events of Friday, my thoughts and 
prayers have been with the families of John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut, 
and with Angela Dickerson, the young woman who was wounded during the 
shooting. While the loss of Officer Gibson and Officer Chestnut is 
deeply felt by their friends and coworkers in Congress, it is their 
wives and children who must now bear that terrible burden--the loss of 
a husband and a father. It is a sacrifice that no child should be asked 
to make. It is a sacrifice that no spouse should have to make.
  So as we mourn the deaths of Detective John Gibson and Officer Jacob 
Chestnut, and pay tribute to their memory, let us pray for the well-
being of their families. Let us remember the enormous sacrifice their 
wives and children have made in the name of freedom and democracy. And 
let us reflect upon the valor of the men and women of the U.S. Capital 
Police Force who make it possible for us to conduct the people's 
business free from harm's way.
  God Bless Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of two true 
American heroes. Capitol Hill Police Officer Jacob J. Chestnut and 
Special Agent John M. Gibson sacrificed themselves in the line of duty, 
putting their country and their commitment to democracy over their very 
lives. These men trained for the possibility of confronting violence, 
and when it came time, both acted professionally, responsibly, and 
heroically. We can only offer our most heartfelt condolences and 
prayers to the families of these inspiring men.
  Officer Chestnut was an 18-year veteran of the Capitol Hill police 
force, having spent twenty years as part of the U.S. Air Force before 
that. Officer Chestnut was a highly-trained professional, who spent the 
overwhelming majority of his life protecting others. Special Agent 
Gibson was similarly selfless, working long hours at the Capitol as 
part of the Dignitary Protection Detail, constantly protecting others 
by putting himself in harm's way.
  Those of us who work on Capitol Hill are used to seeing armed 
officers on a regular basis. We smile and chat with the friendly 
Capitol Hill police, and appreciate their warmth as people, and the 
sense of community they lend to our sometimes insular environment. They 
answer questions and direct tourists, just as Officer Chestnut was 
doing during the exact moment his killer confronted him. We rarely 
contemplate the seriousness of their task.
  However, protection is their ultimate goal. Not only were officers 
Chestnut and Gibson here to protect Members of Congress, visiting 
dignitaries, and the millions of tourists who visit the Capitol, they 
were here to protect our very system of government. The Capitol is one 
of the most open government buildings in the world, a fact that is 
directly attributable to the commitment of the Capitol Hill police. For 
instead of forcing us to make our Nation's capitol impregnable, closing 
the doors and letting only those with government business enter, the 
Capitol Police stand in the breech, using themselves as barriers, while 
allowing the ``People's House'' to truly belong to the people.
  Neighbors and family of Officer Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson 
describe them as generous, giving, and kind. But they were also hard-
working, authoritative, and took their jobs very seriously. Because 
even though their task was comprised partly of peopling our Capitol 
community with friendly faces and helping hands, they were also here to 
provide us with the very serious service of protection from violence. 
And, just as they excelled at working with the public, Officer Chestnut 
and Special Agent Gibson both proved that they excelled at the task of 
protecting us, our staffs, and the public from mortal danger. Quite 
simply, we owe them our lives. And we owe them our lives not only for 
their actions last Friday, but for their habitual actions--smiling, 
chatting, continuing the routine of security, all the while putting 
their lives at risk, every single day.
  Mr. Speaker, these men are honored as heroes because they were called 
upon to make the supreme sacrifice, but they are also heroes because 
they were constantly prepared to make that sacrifice--for their 
families, for us, and for the country they believed in. Our words can 
not bring them back, but we can honor the men, and the values for which 
they risked, and sacrificed, their lives.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the two officers who 
lost lives saving others. The extraordinary acts of heroism 
demonstrated by Detective Gibson and Private First Class Chestnut of 
the Capitol Police are actions in which every American should be 
grateful for.
  Friday's tragic incident took the lives of two dedicated men who 
proved through their actions that they exemplified the true meaning of 
duty, honor, and love of their country. Their actions were not only 
full of courage but they were able to put an end to the violence with 
true valor.
  Tragic events are not longer something we hear about; they have now 
penetrated the halls of the people's building right in our very own 
back yard. The shots taken in the Capitol on Friday were not heard just 
inside the Capitol, they were heard around the world as a warning to 
all that violence can happen at any moment and anywhere.
  Friday's horrifying violent act took the lives of two brave men who 
died protecting what they believed in. We will never again take the 
presence of the Capitol police for granted because knowing that they 
are there makes us all breathe a lot easier.
  My condolences and heart felt prayers to the families, friends, and 
colleagues of officers Gibson and Chestnut. I ask Americans around our 
nation to reflect upon the incident and keep the victim's families in 
their thoughts and prayers. God bless the brave men and women around 
the world, and God Bless America.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to reflect on 
the tragedy that occurred this past Friday in the House. Two of our 
finest in uniform in the United States Capitol Police force, Officer 
Jacob Chestnut and Special Agent John Gibson, valiantly defended the 
hundreds of visitors, Members of Congress and their staffs who were 
milling about on that fateful Friday afternoon of July 24. Because they 
died, others lived.
  I would like to quote a verse from the Bible which states ``Greater 
love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his 
friends'' John 15:13. Surely love, honor and duty were on the minds of 
these brave policemen as they stood to meet the challenge, never 
hesitating for a moment for their own safety.
  Capitol Hill has lost outstanding policemen and two families have 
lost a beloved but Heaven has gained two angels with badges of honor. 
We look to the skies knowing that they continue to protect us. We will 
never forget them and what they did for us. We pray that God, in His 
infinite mercy, will be with the families in their grief; that he will 
grant them

[[Page H6484]]

peace and strength to carry on. I send them my deepest condolences.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues to 
honor the memories of two American heroes, U.S. Capitol Police Officers 
Jacob ``J.J.'' Chestnut and John Gibson, who gave their lives last 
Friday so that others might live.
  The U.S. Capitol Police are a unique law enforcement institution in 
America. They are charged with protecting members of the House and 
Senate, the Capitol itself, our congressional staffs, and the millions 
of tourists from around the world who visit this building. In 
performing this task, they are more than security personnel. They are 
ambassadors for our country, helping Americans find their way through 
the Capitol safely, answering questions, providing a helping hand. They 
help congressmen and staffs get to where they need to go. And over 
time, we get to know the Capitol Police well, by face if not always by 
name, so much so that they become like family to those of us who do the 
American people's work here as their elected representatives.
  Officer Chestnut and Officer Gibson were family, Mr. Speaker. And as 
with the passing of any relative, near or distant, we feel sadness and 
a sense of loss. They died protecting people, and protecting a monument 
to represent government known by peoples around the world both free and 
oppressed.
  The Bible says, ``greater love hath no man than to lay down his life 
for his friends.'' Officers Chestnut and Gibson laid down their lives 
for us, and for the ideals of freedom and liberty that we hold dear. 
Our prayers are with their widows and their families. Our thanks are 
due to Chief Gary Abrecht and all of the U.S. Capitol Police, to House 
Sergeant at Arms Wilson Livingood and his staff, and to all of 
America's law enforcement officers, who have tragically lost two brave 
colleagues in the force.
  And, Mr. Speaker, we should work to preserve the memory of these 
brave officers by continuing the work that they did for so many years: 
by keeping the Capitol open to the people. In doing so, we will 
remember the awful price that we have paid to obtain our freedom, the 
high price America must occasionally pay to keep it, and the terrible 
price that the Chestnut and Gibson families paid for it on Friday, July 
24, 1998.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I am both personally honored and saddened 
to join those who have offered us an opportunity to express our 
feelings about Friday's senseless tragedy.
  Last Friday afternoon, the People's House was in its normal, hectic 
state. Visitors, young and old reverently roamed the halls where their 
government resides. Mothers and fathers provided their children with 
historical information about the work that goes on within the United 
States Capitol. Representatives had just concluded their legislative 
business and were rushing to return to their districts. Staff were busy 
putting the finishing touches on their duties for the week. Members of 
the Capitol Hill Police force, both seen and unseen, stood proudly in 
protection of the Capitol complex and those within it. All and all, 
this was a very normal Friday afternoon in the nation's capital.
  As we all know now, a lone, mentally disturbed individual had already 
made his plans to forcibly deliver horror, grief and anguish within our 
Capitol. This individual clearly had thoughts of causing chaos as he 
rushed his way past Officer Jacob (J.J.) Chestnut. Officer Chestnut was 
giving directions to the subway, as he had cheerfully done many times 
before. The gunman, without warning, drew his gun and shot Officer 
Chestnut, mortally wounding him. Officer Chestnut in this moment of 
turmoil stood gallantly at his post and died trying to save the lives 
of both friends and strangers. Officer Chestnut's actions were 
consistent with his training and with his personal values and beliefs. 
In life, Officer Chestnut lived an honorable life. At the moment of his 
death, Officer Chestnut became a genuine American hero.
  A few doors away, Special Agent John Gibson was at his post. His 
duties were to protect the Majority Whip, Representative Tom DeLay. 
From his post, Special Agent Gibson, upon hearing gunfire, was ready to 
defend Representative DeLay, his staff and visitors from a mad man. He 
willingly stood tall in the face of imminent danger. In those frantic 
moments, Special Agent Gibson made a profound decision. By his actions, 
he refused to allow this gunman to hurt anyone under his protection. In 
the moment when Special Agent Gibson came face to face with evil 
incarnate, he vigilantly stood his ground. With just a few feet between 
them the gunman shot Special Agent Gibson. Despite his mortal wounds, 
Special Agent Gibson remained steadfast in his duties and brought this 
insane rampage to an end. In his sacrifice, Special Agent Gibson made 
certain that those whom he had sworn to defend would remain safe. In 
this moment, Special Agent Gibson instinctively and without hesitation 
became a genuine American hero.
  At this time, when Americans look high and low in search of heroes, 
we can take some solace knowing that this search has ended. Officer 
Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson, through the selfless actions have 
become our newest American heroes. They paid an ultimate price so that 
all Americans could continue to wander the halls of the People's House. 
All Americans owe them their deepest admiration and their profound 
respect. Americans must be willing to stand together as an American 
family, to reach out to console their families, colleagues and friends. 
We must repay this debt, although we also know in our hearts and souls 
that this is impossible.
  I recall the words of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, speaking in 
Indianapolis on April 4, 1968, shortly after the assassination of Dr. 
Martin Luther King. Kennedy addressed a crowd informing them of Dr. 
King's death. He concluded his remarks saying ``Let us dedicate 
ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the 
savageness of man and to make gentle the life of this world. Officer 
Chestnut and Special Agent Gibson willingly and bravely gave their 
lives in pursuit of this noble ideal.
  Robert F. Kennedy concluded his remarks saying ``Let us dedicate 
ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our 
people.''
  This tragedy is deeply personal. Special Agent Gibson was my niece 
Evelyn's husband. I am proud to have recommended him for employment 
with the Capitol Police. Throughout his career, I have watched him as 
he progressed from being a uniformed officer to that of Special Agent 
protecting the leaders of the House of Representatives. Even then, I 
knew John was special. One of the qualities I admired was his loyalty 
to his Boston roots. John followed all Boston sports teams, both 
collegiate and professional. Just a few weeks ago, he had stopped by to 
ask me to help him get a couple of tickets to an upcoming Notre Dame 
versus Boston College football game. He constantly sought out news from 
Boston hoping to keep his Massachusetts roots strong.
  John was a religious man who sought strength and comfort from His 
Lord. As a family man, John excelled. He always made time for his wife 
and their three children. It comes as no surprise that John had earned 
the respect and admiration that John earned in both his personal and 
professional lives. From the Speaker of the House, the Majority Whip, 
his fellow officers, his neighbors and friends, I am humbled to learn 
of the high esteem in which they held John. I hope the kind words 
spoken about John will provide his family with some small measure of 
comfort in these dark times. I will always remember John as a kind, 
honest, devout, caring and giving human being.
  In conclusion, I ask all Americans to join me in these difficult 
moments as we seek comfort, for their grieving families and for 
ourselves.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to find the right words to 
express our sorrow at the tragedy that struck the Capitol on Friday 
afternoon.
  Today we honor the memories of J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson, the 
Capitol Police officers who gave their lives protecting others. I join 
my colleagues in sending my heartfelt condolences to the family and 
friends of these heroic men. I pray that in this time of such sorrow, 
they will be comforted by their own warm memories. I also hope that the 
Chestnut and Gibson families will take solace in the knowledge that 
people all over the world share in their grief. Tomorrow, we will honor 
these men in an unprecedented fashion by paying our respects as they 
lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda.
  Here on Capitol Hill, we have lost two beloved members of our 
community, indeed our family. Private First Class Chestnut and 
Detective Gibson loved their jobs, loved their Congress, and loved 
their country. They were fixtures at their posts, J.J. at the Document 
Door, and John walking with the Majority Whip. They were the ultimate 
professionals, and each day went out of their way to improve the 
quality of life on Capitol Hill. We will never forget them.
  Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Capitol Police force has been thrust into the 
limelight under the most terrible circumstances. Anyone who works here 
or visits these grounds knows what great people these women and men 
are, yet they never seem to receive the credit they deserve. When my 
husband, Congressman Walter Capps, passed away last October, Capitol 
Police personnel were incredibly comforting and helpful to me, my 
family, and my staff. These acts of kindness and compassion will always 
remain close to my heart.
  As we commend the Capitol Police, I want to pay particular tribute to 
two officers. Officer Douglas B. McMillan took quick and decisive 
action after his partner J.J. Chestnut was shot. And Capitol Police 
spokesman Sgt. Dan Nichols has labored around the clock since the 
shootings providing the press and the American people with timely and 
sensitively-delivered updates. We are all indebted to the service of 
these men as well.

[[Page H6485]]

  Mr. Speaker, nothing we can say or do will bring J.J. Chestnut and 
John Gibson back to us. But for the sake of their families, their 
colleagues, and the American people, we must pause and give them the 
tributes they deserve. We honor their memories and celebrate their 
lives. And we pray that violence and murder never again befall the 
people's House.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Everett). Without objection, the 
previous question is ordered on the concurrent resolution.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the concurrent 
resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, on that, I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were-- yeas 392, 
nays 0, not voting 43, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 340]

                               YEAS--392

     Abercrombie
     Aderholt
     Allen
     Andrews
     Archer
     Armey
     Bachus
     Baesler
     Baker
     Baldacci
     Ballenger
     Barcia
     Barr
     Barrett (NE)
     Barrett (WI)
     Bartlett
     Barton
     Bass
     Bateman
     Bentsen
     Bereuter
     Berman
     Berry
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bishop
     Blagojevich
     Bliley
     Blumenauer
     Blunt
     Boehlert
     Boehner
     Bonior
     Bono
     Borski
     Boswell
     Boucher
     Boyd
     Brady (PA)
     Brady (TX)
     Brown (CA)
     Brown (FL)
     Brown (OH)
     Bryant
     Bunning
     Burr
     Burton
     Buyer
     Callahan
     Calvert
     Camp
     Campbell
     Canady
     Capps
     Cardin
     Carson
     Castle
     Chabot
     Chambliss
     Chenoweth
     Christensen
     Clay
     Clayton
     Clement
     Clyburn
     Coble
     Coburn
     Collins
     Combest
     Condit
     Cook
     Cooksey
     Costello
     Coyne
     Cramer
     Crane
     Crapo
     Cubin
     Cummings
     Cunningham
     Danner
     Davis (FL)
     Davis (IL)
     Davis (VA)
     Deal
     DeGette
     Delahunt
     DeLauro
     DeLay
     Deutsch
     Diaz-Balart
     Dickey
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Dixon
     Doggett
     Dooley
     Doolittle
     Doyle
     Dreier
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Edwards
     Ehlers
     Ehrlich
     Emerson
     Engel
     English
     Ensign
     Eshoo
     Etheridge
     Evans
     Everett
     Ewing
     Farr
     Fattah
     Fawell
     Fazio
     Filner
     Foley
     Forbes
     Ford
     Fossella
     Fowler
     Fox
     Frank (MA)
     Franks (NJ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Frost
     Furse
     Gallegly
     Ganske
     Gejdenson
     Gekas
     Gephardt
     Gibbons
     Gilchrest
     Gillmor
     Gilman
     Gingrich
     Goode
     Goodlatte
     Goodling
     Gordon
     Goss
     Graham
     Granger
     Green
     Greenwood
     Gutierrez
     Gutknecht
     Hall (OH)
     Hall (TX)
     Hamilton
     Hansen
     Hastert
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayworth
     Hefley
     Hefner
     Herger
     Hill
     Hilleary
     Hilliard
     Hinchey
     Hinojosa
     Hobson
     Hoekstra
     Holden
     Hooley
     Horn
     Hostettler
     Houghton
     Hoyer
     Hulshof
     Hunter
     Hutchinson
     Hyde
     Inglis
     Istook
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson-Lee (TX)
     Jefferson
     Jenkins
     John
     Johnson (CT)
     Johnson (WI)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Kanjorski
     Kaptur
     Kasich
     Kelly
     Kennedy (MA)
     Kennedy (RI)
     Kennelly
     Kildee
     Kilpatrick
     Kim
     Kind (WI)
     King (NY)
     Kleczka
     Klink
     Klug
     Knollenberg
     Kucinich
     LaFalce
     LaHood
     Lampson
     Lantos
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Lazio
     Leach
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis (KY)
     Linder
     Livingston
     LoBiondo
     Lofgren
     Lowey
     Lucas
     Luther
     Maloney (CT)
     Maloney (NY)
     Manton
     Manzullo
     Martinez
     Mascara
     Matsui
     McCarthy (NY)
     McCollum
     McCrery
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McHale
     McHugh
     McInnis
     McIntosh
     McIntyre
     McKeon
     McKinney
     McNulty
     Meehan
     Meek (FL)
     Meeks (NY)
     Menendez
     Metcalf
     Mica
     Millender-McDonald
     Miller (CA)
     Miller (FL)
     Minge
     Mink
     Mollohan
     Moran (KS)
     Moran (VA)
     Morella
     Myrick
     Neal
     Nethercutt
     Neumann
     Ney
     Northup
     Norwood
     Nussle
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Olver
     Ortiz
     Owens
     Oxley
     Packard
     Pallone
     Pappas
     Parker
     Pascrell
     Pastor
     Paul
     Paxon
     Payne
     Pease
     Pelosi
     Peterson (MN)
     Peterson (PA)
     Petri
     Pickering
     Pitts
     Pombo
     Porter
     Portman
     Pryce (OH)
     Quinn
     Radanovich
     Rahall
     Ramstad
     Rangel
     Redmond
     Regula
     Reyes
     Riley
     Rivers
     Rodriguez
     Roemer
     Rogan
     Rogers
     Rohrabacher
     Rothman
     Roukema
     Royce
     Rush
     Ryun
     Sabo
     Salmon
     Sanchez
     Sanders
     Sandlin
     Sawyer
     Saxton
     Scarborough
     Schaffer, Bob
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sensenbrenner
     Serrano
     Sessions
     Shadegg
     Shaw
     Shays
     Sherman
     Shimkus
     Sisisky
     Skaggs
     Skeen
     Skelton
     Slaughter
     Smith (MI)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (OR)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith, Adam
     Smith, Linda
     Snowbarger
     Snyder
     Solomon
     Souder
     Spence
     Spratt
     Stabenow
     Stearns
     Stenholm
     Stokes
     Strickland
     Stump
     Stupak
     Sununu
     Talent
     Tanner
     Tauscher
     Taylor (MS)
     Taylor (NC)
     Thomas
     Thornberry
     Thune
     Thurman
     Tierney
     Towns
     Traficant
     Turner
     Upton
     Velazquez
     Vento
     Visclosky
     Wamp
     Waters
     Watkins
     Watt (NC)
     Watts (OK)
     Weldon (FL)
     Weldon (PA)
     Weller
     Weygand
     White
     Wicker
     Wilson
     Wise
     Wolf
     Woolsey
     Wynn
     Young (AK)

                             NOT VOTING--43

     Ackerman
     Becerra
     Bonilla
     Cannon
     Conyers
     Cox
     DeFazio
     Gonzalez
     Harman
     Hastings (FL)
     Kingston
     Kolbe
     Largent
     Lewis (CA)
     Lewis (GA)
     Lipinski
     Markey
     McCarthy (MO)
     McDade
     Moakley
     Murtha
     Nadler
     Pickett
     Pomeroy
     Poshard
     Price (NC)
     Riggs
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roybal-Allard
     Sanford
     Schaefer, Dan
     Shuster
     Stark
     Tauzin
     Thompson
     Tiahrt
     Torres
     Walsh
     Waxman
     Wexler
     Whitfield
     Yates
     Young (FL)

                              {time}  2027

  So the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________