[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 105 (Thursday, July 28, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S9278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNITION OF BENNIE COOLEY

 Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise to recognize an outstanding 
marksman and employee at Idaho National Laboratory: Bennie Cooley, who 
with teammate Todd Salmon has recently won the 2005 World Sniper 
Championship.
  Bennie Cooley is no stranger to such competitions, as he currently 
holds three world titles and seven national titles within the shooting 
disciplines, but this competition was particularly special to him 
because many of the participants were some of the finest members of our 
Armed Forces and the national law enforcement community. Like him, I 
believe that all these competitors are world champions in their own 
right.
  Bennie has made a career at the Idaho National Laboratory, beginning 
as a security police officer for the Laboratory before moving to the 
Laboratory's special response team where he became a team leader. He is 
now a firearms safety engineer, ``part of a team that makes security 
successful, especially in the safety realm . . . able to articulate 
anything that's necessary to help keep us safe,'' according to one of 
his superiors, because of his knowledge of firearms.
  Respect for firearms and marksmanship have been important qualities 
throughout our Nation's history and it is rewarding to see those values 
preserved and practiced by people like Bennie Cooley.
  As Mr. Cooley continues to assure the safety of Idaho National 
Laboratory and to demonstrate his excellence in the art of 
marksmanship, I wish him good luck and offer congratulations and thanks 
for his dedication to public service.

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