[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 107 (Wednesday, July 24, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S5852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           REMEMBERING OFFICER CHESTNUT AND DETECTIVE GIBSON

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this morning I would like to start by 
remembering the sacrifice of two 18-year veterans of the Capitol 
Police, Detective John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut. On this date 
in 1998, Gibson and Chestnut paid the ultimate price while standing in 
defense of the U.S. Capitol. We know these men fell defending more than 
just the structure, though. We know they fell defending more than just 
the Members sent here or even the staffs who help each of us better 
serve constituents and our country. No, these men died while protecting 
everything this building represents--our democratic way of life, the 
freedom granted to each of us by a creator we often thank but never 
see.
  We honor these men for their lives, and we honor them for the final 
act of heroism that ended those lives. That is why a plaque inside the 
Capitol commemorates their sacrifice. That is why the Capitol Police 
headquarters bears both of their names. That, I know, is of little 
solace to the wives, children, and friends left behind, but it is a 
small way of saying ``we remember'' when the scale of the debt owed can 
never truly be repaid in full.
  So today the Senate honors John Gibson and J.J. Chestnut for their 
sacrifice, and the Senate sends its condolences and its gratitude to 
those who loved them most.

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