[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 67 (Thursday, May 13, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S5387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO OFFICER JOHN WATSON

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I was deeply saddened last Christmas 
evening to learn that Alaska had lost a true hero. Officer John Watson, 
an 18-year veteran of the police force, was the Kenai Police 
Department's longest-serving officer. He served with distinction, 
earning numerous commendations and citations throughout his career. He 
was a dedicated public servant, taken from us in the line of duty. He 
will be missed by his family, friends, and the community he served.
  The stories I have heard since his passing have demonstrated his 
strength of character and his impact on the community.
  Nearly 2,000 peace officers, emergency personnel, State officials, 
and community members remembered Officer Watson at a service held in 
his honor. I think John's pastor said it best when he remembered 
Officer Watson as someone who ``throughout his life walked the talk, 
protecting and serving.''
  Officer Watson is the first Kenai police officer to be taken from us 
in the line of duty. Understandably, our community has been stunned by 
this loss. But it is my hope we can reflect upon John's life and renew 
our commitment to the causes he defined and that defined him: 
particularly, his dedication to public service and his willingness to 
help his fellow citizens. That will be a most fitting tribute to the 
life he spent protecting others, if we remember him in that way.
  I extend my deepest sympathies to John's wife Kathy, his daughter, 
and six stepchildren. They have been, and will continue to be, in our 
thoughts and prayers, and in all Alaskans' prayers, since he has 
passed.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Alaska.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, this evening, in a candlelight vigil at 
the National Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial on Judiciary Square, 
thousands of law enforcement officers from all corners of our Nation 
will come together. Many will be accompanied by their spouses, some by 
their children. Law enforcement is truly a family business.
  Tonight, we will come together to honor 362 heroes whose names were 
inscribed on that marble wall last month. These heroes are law 
enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Mr. 
President, 145 of those officers lost their lives just last year.
  I rise this morning to pay tribute to the men and women whose names 
are inscribed on that wall. I rise to lend my support to their 
survivors and to their colleagues.
  The 362 individuals we will honor tonight were each distinct 
individuals. Together, they represent all of the diversity that is 
America. Together, they shared a commitment to service that is central 
to the tradition of American law enforcement.
  This commitment to service means spending Christmas Day in the patrol 
car instead of with family. It means working on your spouse's birthday, 
checking on the welfare of others.
  The officer's name is John Patrick Watson. On Christmas Day, 2003, he 
went to work, leaving behind his beloved wife Kathy on her birthday, to 
do the job he loved, which was protecting the people of Kenai, AK. That 
had been his job for 18 years.
  That Christmas night, answering a call for a ``welfare check,'' 
Officer Watson would become the first member of the Kenai Police 
Department to lose his life in the line of duty.
  Officer Watson was shot to death with his own weapon, allegedly by 
the individual on whose welfare he was checking.
  The individuals who will be remembered this evening at the memorial 
are regarded as heroes, not for the way they died but for the way they 
lived. So let us not dwell on how Officer Watson lost his life but on 
the way he lived it.
  During the memorial services in the city of Kenai, Chief Chuck Kopp 
recounted another call, 3 years earlier, which began with the words: 
``My name is Officer Watson and I am here to help.''
  Officer Watson was responding to aid a woman who almost died from a 
sleeping pill overdose. The woman, writing after Officer Watson's 
tragic death, stated that she did not remember much of what had 
occurred that night, but the peace she felt as his unshaken voice 
reached her is something she will never forget.
  The woman whose life Officer Watson saved, ironically, never had an 
opportunity to thank him during his lifetime. In a letter that was read 
during Officer Watson's memorial service, the woman wrote:

       Please know that with every breath I take, I thank you. . . 
     . I will make every day count. Your time and energy were not 
     wasted.

  I never had the opportunity to meet Officer John Watson. It is 
troubling to me that in spite of his many good works, only in death 
have his many contributions been recognized on the Senate floor.
  So to Kathy, to John's children, and to the members of his family in 
Michigan, I say that John Watson's time and energy were certainly not 
wasted. He trained nearly every member of the Kenai Police Department. 
He was a pillar of the community, devoted to his church and to God, a 
bear of a man with a smile for everyone.
  John Watson was an Alaskan by choice rather than by birth, but he 
will remain forever in our hearts as a true Alaskan hero. For in valor, 
there is hope.
  I thank the Presiding Officer and yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Wisconsin is recognized 
for 5 minutes under the previous order.

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