[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 117 (Friday, July 24, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5681-S5682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           REMEMBERING OFFICER CHESTNUT AND DETECTIVE GIBSON

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, every July 24, we commemorate a solemn 
anniversary. We honor the sacrifice of J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson, 
Capitol Police officers who fell in the line of duty this day in 1998.
  I hope it comforts the family and friends who loved these officers to 
know that their memories continue to live on.
  Their memories live on in the Capitol Police Headquarters that is 
named in their honor, and they live on within the Capitol itself: on a 
commemorative plaque, inscribed indelibly; in the service of every 
officer who wears the badge today, evoked daily.
  Indeed, Officer J.J. Chestnut and Detective John Gibson may rest just 
beyond the Potomac in Arlington National Cemetery, but the ideals they 
gave everything to defend endure in this symbol of democracy every day,

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carried forward by the brave men and women of our Capitol Police force. 
May they continue to do so, and may that bring some measure of comfort 
to every American mourning the loss of these brave officers again 
today.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, there are a select few men and women who 
come to work every day with one primary job: to protect those of us who 
work in the United States Capitol and all who come here from all 
corners of our country to see the heart of our democracy.
  In 1998, two of those brave police officers gave their lives while 
protecting the Capitol. They were Special Agent John Gibson and Officer 
Jacob Chestnut.
  Mr. President, 16 years ago today, a man entered the House side of 
the Capitol Building with a gun and shot Officer Chestnut at point-
blank range. Agent Gibson warned tourists and staff to take cover and 
then confronted the gunman. Although Agent Gibson was also shot, he 
prevented anyone else from being killed.
  Both officers died that day. They served a combined 36 years on the 
force protecting the Capitol.
  I knew Agent Gibson. Years before the shooting, my wife and I 
attended a Senate retreat in southern Virginia. My wife became ill. 
Agent Gibson ran to her side. I can still remember how he was sweating 
from running so fast to come to my wife's aid. I have fond memories of 
these officers.
  Agent Gibson, who was from Massachusetts, would race to the back of 
the sports section each morning to find the box score for his beloved 
Boston Red Sox. He was a generous neighbor and a loving father to his 
daughter and two sons.
  Officer Chestnut--everyone called him ``J.J.''--was a father of five 
who loved his job and loved his country. He served in the Air Force for 
20 years and fought in Vietnam. At the time of the shooting, he was 
just weeks away from retiring.
  Gibson and Chestnut were laid in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, just 
steps from where they were murdered--a distinction Congress has 
conferred upon only a handful of Americans, including Abraham Lincoln, 
John F. Kennedy, and our unknown soldiers. Jacob Chestnut was the first 
African-American ever to be so honored in our Capitol Rotunda.
  On this solemn anniversary, we pause to appreciate not just the 
bravery of two men who saved so many others but each and every Capitol 
Police officer who does his or her job so valiantly every single day of 
the year. On behalf of the entire United States Senate and everyone who 
works and visits here, thank you.

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