[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 24, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H4554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING RICHARD COLLINS
(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, over the weekend, a young man in my district
was killed in what appears to be a vicious crime, probably motivated by
hate.
U.S. Army Second Lieutenant Richard W. Collins, III, was just days
away from graduating from Bowie State University. Richard stood on the
threshold of what promised to be a life of service to his country.
He has been remembered by family and friends as a kind soul, an
angel, and a national treasure.
All of us across Maryland were shocked and devastated when we learned
of the attack that took his life--an unprovoked attack at a bus station
waiting for an Uber to pick him up. An individual came along and asked
him to step left--whatever that meant. He said: ``No, I won't.'' And he
was stabbed in the chest.
We were deeply alarmed to learn that the suspect in Richard's murder
belonged to an alleged online White supremacist group. Richard was
African American. Richard's murderer must be held to account under the
full weight of our laws, and, hopefully, he will be.
His life is a reminder of everything that makes our Nation
extraordinary. His death is a painful reminder that our work in
overcoming hatred in this country is far from over.
I have been keeping Richard's parents and family in my thoughts and
in my prayers this week, and I will continue to do so.
Mr. Speaker, I rise with a very heavy heart to mourn the loss of a
young man in my district who was killed over the weekend in a possible
hate-crime. U.S. Army Second Lieutenant Richard W. Collins III was just
days away from graduating from Bowie State University College of
Business when he was stabbed by an assailant while waiting at a bus
stop in College Park on the campus of the University of Maryland. He
was there to visit friends and celebrate his having been commissioned
as an officer in the Army just two days earlier.
At age twenty-three, Richard stood on the threshold of what promised
to be an exciting life of service to his country, and the Army was
fortunate to have such a driven and talented young person so eager to
be a part of defending our nation. Richard represented the best of the
Fifth District, the best of Maryland, and the best of America. All of
us across the region were shocked and devastated when we learned of the
attack that took his life. We were deeply dismayed as well to learn
that the suspect in Richard's murder belonged to an alleged online
white supremacist group with references in its name to Nazism and to
the so-called `Alt-Right' movement that espouses xenophobia and racial
hatred. The FBI is now investigating, and Richard's murderer must be
held to account under the full weight of our laws.
In viewing this tragedy, it is easy to get caught up in the details
of who perpetrated the crime and why. But the real story I wish to
share with my colleagues is Richard's story. The story of a young man
who was so proud to put on his Army uniform and had diligently drilled
as a member of the ROTC in college. He has been remembered by family
and friends as a `kind soul,' an `angel,' and `a national treasure.'
The loss of this outstanding young Marylander and young American
diminishes us all.
I have been keeping Richard's parents and extended family in my
thoughts and in my prayers these past few days, and I will surely
continue to be inspired by his memory for a long time to come. His life
is a reminder of everything that makes our nation extraordinary His
death is a painful reminder that the work of banishing hatred from our
midst is far from over and will require each and every one of us to
share in the task. May God bless the memory of Second Lieutenant
Richard W Collins III and watch over his family and his community in
this hour of their grief.
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