[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 132 (Monday, September 28, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H9150-H9151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT MEMBERS SHOULD FOLLOW EXAMPLES DISPLAYED BY 
                     JACOB CHESTNUT AND JOHN GIBSON

  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on 
House Oversight be discharged from further consideration of the 
concurrent resolution (H.Con.Res 317), expressing the sense of Congress 
that Members of Congress should follow the example of self-sacrifice 
and devotion to character displayed by Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson 
of the United States Capitol Police, and asks for its immediate 
consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?

[[Page H9151]]

  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, this past 
July, the United States Congress and our entire nation were gripped by 
a terrible tragedy, the deaths of the Capitol Police Officers Jacob 
Chestnut and John Gibson. Officers Chestnut and Gibson gave their lives 
defending the United States Capitol, all of us who work in this complex 
and the American people who visit it to see their democracy in action. 
They died heroically while defending our democracy.
  The outpouring of affection and gratitude for these two men was as 
deep and genuine as any I have witnessed, and I am certain that the 
many tributes to them served as a comfort to their families.

                              {time}  1800

  Of course, no words or tributes can replace their loss. In the 
aftermath of this tragedy and the heartfelt sympathy of the American 
people, we in this body were briefly changed. We came together as one 
family to pay our respects, to reflect on the almost surreal tragedy of 
that July afternoon and, for a time, respect, civility and comity ruled 
the day.
  In fact Pastor Marcom, in delivering Officer Chestnut's eulogy, 
remarked on the change that tragedy had on our relations with one 
another, and he speculated that probably the next week it would be 
business as usual. In the weeks and months since this time, I have 
thought long and hard about what we all experienced. I am convinced 
that what we admired about Officer Gibson and Officer Chestnut and what 
made them heroes is not the way they died but the way in which they 
lived.
  Officers Chestnut and Gibson were honest, genuine, hard-working 
family men who loved their jobs and loved their country. In an age 
where too many people seem consumed by life's most superficial 
pleasures, they showed us that America is populated by common men of 
the most substantial and admirable character.
  Of course, the great tragedy is that it took their deaths for us to 
recognize what heroes they had been all along.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a lesson here. We would do well to learn it. 
While we too often argue, bicker and consume ourselves with political 
maneuvering and intrigue, the Nation cries out for real leadership, not 
in words but in deeds. These complicated times demand a Congress 
dedicated to integrity, good works and behavior that reflects 
admirably, not just on ourselves but on our sacred rights and 
responsibilities as constitutional officers. But that is too rarely the 
case.
  Simply put, Mr. Speaker, we are too much like a caricature of 
ourselves and too little like Officers Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson. 
We are too much like adversaries and too little like we were in the 
days after the gun fire erupted in the Capitol.
  This resolution asks that we honor those officers by living our lives 
and performing our duties with the same dignity, love and respect with 
which these men lived their lives and performed their duties.
  This resolution asks us to honor them by honoring the people they 
protected and the people we represent, by living up to a standard of 
service and behavior that we can be proud of, as much as we were proud 
of the service of these two men. This resolution asks us to exemplify 
what is best in America, to lead rather than follow. If one thinks 
about it, it is really not much to ask, and it is long, long overdue.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the honorable gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Lewis), my friend, for his assistance with this 
resolution, as well as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the 
honorable majority whip, for his continued courage in the aftermath of 
a tragedy that struck him so close to home.
  Mr. Speaker, in drafting this resolution, we consulted the United 
States Capitol Police and the Chestnut and Gibson families, who believe 
it to be appropriate and fitting.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Fossella). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the concurrent resolution, as follows:
       Whereas Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson of the United States 
     Capitol Police laid down their lives for their country and 
     all of us;
       Whereas beyond the devotion of Jacob Chestnut and John 
     Gibson to duty, honor, and country was their commitment to 
     respect;
       Whereas Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson were simple, humble, 
     private men who deeply moved this nation simply by doing 
     their jobs;
       Whereas the focus on their exemplary personal character 
     could not have come at a time of greater need as many in our 
     country seem more and more dedicated to self-indulgence; and
       Whereas the Members of Congress have an unparalleled 
     opportunity to be urgently needed role models of respect and 
     dignity with no loss of personal principles: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Members of Congress should follow the 
     example of Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson by living lives of 
     love, respect, and integrity every day at all times, 
     including on the floor of the Senate and House of 
     Representatives, and should deserve the title ``Honorable'' 
     by setting an example so that Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson 
     did not die in vain.

  The concurrent resolution was agreed to. A motion to reconsider was 
laid on the table.

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