[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 103 (Tuesday, July 28, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H6490-H6491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      GOD BLESS OUR FALLEN HEROES

  (Mr. COOK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COOK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay a brief tribute to the officers 
who died Friday trying to preserve the safety and sanctity of this 
hallowed building. We will dissect Friday's events for months, looking 
for ways to make sure this tragedy never happens again. We should. This 
is necessary work.
  But what sets these Capitol Police apart from the rest of us who do 
business in this building is their ability to act in a split second, to 
make decisions that can exact the highest possible price, without 
hesitation.
  Friday reminded me that in the sea of people on Capitol Hill trained 
to analyze, debate and ponder, there is a small army of men and women 
trained to act immediately, decisively and heroically. Like John Gibson 
did. Like Jacob Chestnut did. These people lined up to pay tribute to 
these two courageous men underscores a fact I have sometimes forgotten: 
Without the work they do, we could not do the work we do.
  I do not think I will ever forget that again. I may not remember to 
say thank you every single time I rush past an entrance carefully and 
cheerfully

[[Page H6491]]

guarded by police, but I am resolved to do that as often as possible. 
And whether spoken every day or not, I think, for all of us here, the 
words ``thank you'' are in our hearts forever. Thank you.

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