[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 113 (Wednesday, August 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1739]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               OFFICERS STEVE REEVES AND STEPHEN GILLNER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB BARR

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 4, 1999

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, those cynics who say America has no 
real heroes anymore have never heard the names Steve Reeves and Stephen 
Gillner.
  Both men filled one of the most dangerous roles in the Cobb County 
Police Department by serving on its SWAT team. Late last month, both 
men gave their lives in a heroic effort to save an elderly woman.
  Officers Gillner and Reeves were both devoted husbands and fathers. 
They were both active in their communities. Both had a record of 
putting their own lives at risk to help others.
  Officer Gillner received an Officer of the Year nomination for 
pulling a man from a burning van. Reeves received awards for saving a 
family from a burning home and rescuing an officer from an armed 
suspect.
  Every day, we are disappointed to see the sports figures and 
celebrities many look up to, letting us down. Officers Gillner and 
Reeves did not let us down. They lived their lives as quiet heroes; 
protecting lives, loving their families, and making it possible for the 
rest of us to enjoy the safety we all too often take for granted.
  In life and death, these two brave officers taught all of us what it 
really means to be a hero. While nothing can erase their loss, we can 
take comfort in knowing they gave their lives doing a job they loved, 
and doing it well.

                          ____________________