[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 68 (Friday, May 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E856-E857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               OFFICER JOHN PATRICK WATSON--ALASKAN HERO

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 13, 2004

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the 
men and women in blue who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Every 
year, thousands of law enforcement officers from all corners of our 
Nation come together to hold a candlelight vigil at the National Law 
Enforcement Officers' Memorial at Judiciary Square. Spouses, children 
and even those who just want to say thank you come together to honor 
the over 16,000 heroes whose names have been inscribed on that marble 
wall. These heroes are law enforcement officers who lost their lives in 
the line of duty.
  Today, I pay my respects to these heroes and to share the sorrow as 
we remember and honor them for their unselfish commitment to protect 
and serve. We honor their lives and all they have done to make our 
streets a safer place for us to live.

[[Page E857]]

  Last year, 145 law enforcement officers gave their lives in the line 
of duty. Today, I would like to recognize and honor a fellow Alaskan: 
Officer John Patrick Watson, who gave his life Christmas Evening, 2003 
while responding to a possible domestic dispute call. Officer Watson, 
an eighteen-year veteran of the force and resident of Kenai, Alaska was 
shot to death with his own weapon, allegedly by one of the individuals 
on whose welfare he was checking. Officer Watson is the first member of 
the Kenai Police Department to lose his life in the line of duty but 
his loss was not in vain. He will be remembered for his commitment to 
his job, his friends and most of all his family. He along with the 
other fallen members of the law enforcement community share a special 
bond with one another. They will be regarded as heroes, a bond they 
will share for eternity. It is only fitting that we celebrate their 
lives not for the way they died, but for the way they lived.
  Officer John Patrick Watson went to work on Christmas Day as a hero 
and that is the way he will always be remembered. I pray for his wife 
Kathy, his daughter, six stepchildren and his family in Michigan. 
Officer Watson is a true Alaskan Hero.

                          ____________________