[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 69 (Thursday, May 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H3949]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE LIFE OF MARTIN COBB

  (Mr. CANTOR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor the life of Martin 
Cobb, an 8-year-old boy from Richmond, Virginia, who was taken from us 
way too soon. He was killed in a heinous act while trying to protect 
his 12-year-old sister from a violent attacker.
  From the very beginning, Martin was a fighter against all odds, 
surviving open heart surgery at 3 months old, when the doctors did not 
believe he was going to make it.
  Martin was a student at Elizabeth Redd Elementary School and he 
enjoyed the kind of things that most kids grow fond of: playing with 
toy cars and riding his bike around the neighborhood.
  Martin didn't have a father at home, and so his mother referred to 
him as the ``man of the house.'' As a loving son and brother, relatives 
say he had the ``heart of a lion.''
  We will always remember him as a true family man, someone who loved 
his sister so much that he gave his life to protect her. In the face of 
grave danger, his only thought, his only instinct, was to help his 
sister.
  At 8 years old, he may have been small in stature--some say he looked 
no older than 4 or 5--but in his last moments, Martin showed he was a 
bigger man than most men ever dream to be.
  We honor Martin by remembering his incredible bravery. But let us 
also commit to honoring him by redoubling our efforts to foster safer 
neighborhoods and communities that produce more Martins and less 
assailants. Our children should be able to grow up enjoying childhood, 
not fearing for their lives.
  In Martin's front yard there now reads a sign, ``A Real Hero Lived, 
Fought, and Died Here.''
  Martin may no longer be with us, but I hope and pray his strength, 
his courage, and his spirit endure in each and every one of us.

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