[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 147 (Thursday, October 15, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10971-H10973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1700
                ENEY, CHESTNUT, GIBSON MEMORIAL BUILDING

  Mr. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the 
Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 120) to redesignate the 
United States Capitol Police headquarters building located at 119 D 
Street, Northeast, Washington, D.C., as the ``Eney, Chestnut, Gibson 
Memorial Building.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 120

       Whereas the United States Capitol Police force has 
     protected the Capitol and upheld the beacon of democracy in 
     America;
       Whereas 3 officers of the United States Capitol Police have 
     lost their lives in the line of duty;
       Whereas Sgt. Christopher Eney was killed on August 24, 
     1984, during a training exercise;
       Whereas officer Jacob ``J.J.'' Chestnut was killed on July 
     24, 1998, while guarding his post at the Capitol; and
       Whereas Detective John Gibson was killed on July 24, 1998, 
     while protecting the lives of visitors, staff, and the Office 
     of the Majority Whip of the House of Representatives: Now, 
     therefore, be it

[[Page H10972]]

       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That the United States Capitol Police 
     headquarters building located at 119 D Street, Northeast, 
     Washington, D.C., shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Eney, Chestnut, Gibson Memorial Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Kim) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Kim).
  Mr. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Senate Concurrent Resolution 120 redesignates the United States 
Capitol Police Headquarter Building located at 119 D Street, Northeast, 
Washington, D.C., as the Eney, Chestnut, Gibson Memorial Building in 
honor of the three Capitol Police officers who made an ultimate 
sacrifice by giving their lives in the line of service.
  Officer Eney was killed in training exercises in August 1984. 
Officers Chestnut and Gibson were struck down in the line of fire 
defending the Members of this body, congressional staff and visitors 
just a few weeks ago on July 24.
  This certainly is a most fitting tribute to these fallen heroes. I 
support the resolution and urge my colleagues to join me in support.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished friend and 
colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant), who does such an 
able job representing us on this committee and in the Congress, for 
yielding this time to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S.Con.Res. 120, a 
concurrent resolution to rename the Capitol Police Headquarters in the 
memory of Officers Christopher Eney, Jacob Chestnut and Detective John 
Gibson.
  Mr. Speaker, the distinguished majority leader and I had the 
opportunity today to participate in the laying of a wreath at the 
memorial which commemorates those brave American police officers, our 
domestic defenders who have laid down their life for peaceful and safe 
communities.
  Mr. Speaker, almost 15,000 Americans wearing a uniform or in the 
service of our law enforcement levels at the Federal, state and local 
have lost their lives. That is a big number. This year alone, Mr. 
Speaker, 64,000 officers will be assaulted on the streets and in the 
communities of America. An officer will be killed once every 54 hours 
in America. Twelve officers, in addition to Mr. Chestnut and Mr. 
Gibson, Detective Gibson and Officer Chestnut, were killed in July of 
1998. These stark statistics were given at that memorial service in 
which the majority leader and I participated today.
  I introduced a resolution similar to this in the House with Senator 
Paul Sarbanes on September 18, 1998, passed Senator Sarbanes' 
resolution, nonpartisan-bipartisan, no pride of authorship, but a pride 
only in the service that these brave men have given. It passed the 
Senate on October 8.
  I want to thank my colleague and friend, the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. DeLay); the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster); the ranking 
member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar); and, as I said 
earlier, my good friend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant) as well 
as the gentleman from California (Mr. Kim) for bringing this bill to 
the floor in a timely fashion. Susan Brita of the Democratic staff I 
would also like to personally thank for her attention to this bill as 
well as the majority staff for their hard work in ensuring its 
consideration here today.
  This resolution names; the building does not have a name right now, 
but this resolution names the United States Capitol Police Headquarters 
as the Eney, Chestnut, Gibson Memorial Building. It is right and proper 
that we do this. This name was selected not by any of us, but by the 
Capitol Police themselves and reflects the order in which each man lost 
his life. These men are fallen heroes of the Capitol Police Force.
  Let me read now, if I can, Mrs. Eney's remarks that are included at 
the memorial. She said this:
  It is not how those officers died that made them heroes, it is how 
they lived.
  I hope Mrs. Eney is watching today along with Mrs. Chestnut and Mrs. 
Gibson. I had the opportunity to talk to Wendy today and to Lynn and 
see the pain of their loss and the anguish that they were experiencing. 
There is nothing that we can do perhaps to relieve that pain, but it is 
proper for us to recognize the sacrifice and service of those they 
loved.
  These men are fallen heroes. Officer Christopher Eney lost his life 
during a training exercise in August 1984, training to be ready to 
defend this Capitol with his life, if need be. Just as Officer Chestnut 
and Detective Gibson had trained and were prepared and did, in fact, 
give their lives in the defense not just of the people in this body, 
not just of those who work in this building, not even just for those 
who visit this building, or a combination of all, but in a very real 
sense in defense of the democracy for which this building stands.
  Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson were struck down in the line of 
duty on July 24 of this year while defending innocent citizens, staff 
and Members from a maniacal and senseless shooting spree in our 
Nation's Capitol. Last week indeed, Mr. Speaker, a grand jury indicted 
the shooter, charged him with murder in the shooting deaths of Officer 
Chestnut and Detective Gibson. Hopefully that trial will proceed 
speedily and will reach a just and appropriate result.
  Mr. Speaker, August 24, the day on which Christopher Eney died, and 
July 24, the day on which Detective Gibson and Officer Chestnut gave 
their lives, those two dates should forever remind us that the risk is 
always present for those we ask to defend a free society.
  As a Capitol Hill family, we in Congress wish to join the Capitol 
Hill Police Force and the families of the deceased in honoring the 
memory of their colleagues and loved ones who died while performing 
their duties by renaming their headquarters after them.
  It is appropriate for the Congress to pass this resolution. The men 
and women of law enforcement, like those we ask to join the Armed 
Services and defend freedom abroad, are responsible for us being able 
to meet in this body, in a society that honors peace and order. The 
least that we could do, as a body and as a people, is to honor our 
fallen officers by naming the headquarters where they served with 
dignity and pride and commitment and courage.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the majority whip, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay).
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise certainly in support of this 
legislation and am very proud to support it. I want to thank my good 
friend, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) because I went to the 
same ceremony just to honor not only the Capitol heroes that have 
fallen but police officers that have fallen around the country, just to 
support them.
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) was very gracious in 
including me in the ceremony. It was a great honor for me to be a part 
of the ceremony and because of his graciousness and hospitality and 
thoughtfulness, I really appreciate what he did.
  This is a resolution that I am very proud that is coming to the 
floor. It is obviously on a day like today, when we are honoring all 
the fallen law enforcement officers around the country, and those that 
are still living, to pass a resolution like this, particularly in light 
of the fact that Christopher Eney, who died in a training incident, is 
also being honored along with Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson.
  The Capitol Police have only lost three officers in its entire 
history. Christopher Eney was the first, and unfortunately on the same 
day we lost two more. The Capitol Police Officers want to name their 
headquarters for these three officers and I, like the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), think that is more than appropriate and certainly 
honorable that their fellow officers want to do so.
  Earlier this year, the body knows that my office was the scene of 
this tragic incident that shook the Nation and it was there that a 
gunman came into the United States Capitol and started shooting and he 
killed Officer Chestnut, wounded a tourist and then shot and fatally 
wounded Detective Gibson.

[[Page H10973]]

  Before he died, Detective Gibson was able to shoot the gunman, saving 
the lives of many innocent bystanders, including members of my staff. 
For that, my staff and I will be eternally grateful.
  We also are grateful to the families that sacrificed these officers. 
As most can expect, these families are having a very hard time but need 
to understand that the Nation is praying for them and their families; 
that they have a lot of support not only within the law enforcement 
community in Washington, D.C. and in the Metroplex area but in this 
House and around the country.
  The memorial fund that was set up for J.J. and John has been more 
than successful, although I would like it to be even bigger, but we are 
very encouraged by the kind of support that we are seeing coming from 
all around the Nation.
  Chestnut and Gibson and Eney are certainly American heroes, not only 
because they died in the line of duty but also because they exemplified 
the best of the American spirit when they were alive. All three were 
family men. All three were patriots. All three were dedicated to the 
proposition that America is the land of the free and the home of the 
brave.
  John Gibson served on my security detail and became a very close 
friend to me. We discussed many things in our time together. We talked 
about our families. We talked about our country and we talked about 
God. I continue to miss the professional manner, the uncommon wisdom 
and the wry sense of humor that John brought to our office every day, 
and I will miss him for the rest of my life.
  Both John Gibson and J.J. Chestnut died so that others might live. 
They gave their lives in the defense of the United States Capitol and 
they died as American heroes. Naming the U.S. Capitol Police 
headquarters after these three men, J.J. Chestnut, John Gibson and 
Christopher Eney, is an altogether, if insufficient, way to memorialize 
their contributions to the United States Congress and to this country, 
and I am honored to ask the Members to support this resolution.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute, before I pay tribute to these 
officers, to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) and to the gentleman 
from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer). They have worked so hard to pay tribute to 
such a needy, worthy situation in our Nation's history, in our Capitol 
history, that the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) and the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. DeLay) deserve the thanks of every Member, of every 
family and every police officer in America.
  As an old sheriff, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
DeLay) and I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

                              {time}  1715

  Having said that, as sheriff, I lost a deputy who was shot at short 
range, Sonny Litch, a beautiful family, left two youngsters, and it is 
a sad, tragic day.
  What we do here today is appropriate and fitting. I want to join with 
the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) and the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. DeLay) and the good Senator from the other side. I want to thank 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Kim), Rick and Susan, for helping 
with this, and I hope that this will last forever and their memory will 
last forever for the great service, the ultimate sacrifice, they give 
to their Nation. Every law enforcement officer deserves a pat on the 
back because every day they put their life on the line.
  With that, I urge an aye vote.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gutknecht). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Kim) that the 
House suspend the rules and concur in the Senate concurrent resolution, 
S. Con. Res. 120.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate concurrent resolution 
was concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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