[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 90 (Thursday, June 30, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H5596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO STEVEN FRANCIS GAUGHAN

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, too often today we call people ``heroes'' 
when in fact their actions do not rise to the level of the heroic. 
Tonight, however, I want to say a few words to honor the memory of a 
true hero, Prince George's County, Maryland, police officer Steven 
Francis Gaughan, who was killed in the line of duty on June 21 trying 
to protect the community that he loved.
  Officer Gaughan was a 15-year veteran of the police force, and was a 
member of a special unit that tracks and arrests drug dealers and 
violent criminals. According to all who knew him, Steven was devoted to 
his work, his church, sports teams and family; his wife, Donna, his 
son, Daniel, and his daughter, Rachel. To Donna, his children and all 
his family and friends, I extend on behalf of all of us our deepest 
sympathies.
  Let me close, Mr. Speaker, by quoting the Washington Post, which 
stated: ``Steven's exemplary courage, and his profound sacrifice, stand 
as painful reminders of how little is truly routine about police work, 
and of the debt of gratitude that officers are owed by society. His 
death is a blow to the community, but by his bravery he set an example 
and left a legacy that will not be soon forgotten.''
  Mr. Speaker, Steven Gaughan was a hero, and he will be deeply missed. 
May God bless his soul and comfort his family.

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