[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 19, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S54-S55]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING OFFICER BRIAN SICKNICK

  Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, in the Christian faith, there is a saying: 
``Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for 
his friends.'' I rise today to talk about that kind of sacrifice, that 
kind of love, and ultimately that tragedy in the death of a man who is 
a hero.
  Officer Brian David Sicknick was many things. He was a loving son to 
his parents, Gladys and Charles Sicknick; a loving brother to Ken and 
Craig Sicknick; and a loving partner of 11 years to Sandra Garza. He 
loved his two dachshunds, Sparky and Pebbles, and he took great care of 
them.
  Many of us got to know Officer Sicknick because he served in the 
Capitol Police Department. He was someone who loved his job and 
understood that every day when you put on that uniform, when you come 
to the Capitol of the greatest power on the planet, the United States 
of America, that wearing that uniform, wearing that badge, you had a 
sacred duty to protect this sacred space.
  I am proud to say that Officer Sicknick was a Jersey guy through and 
through. He was born in New Brunswick, NJ, raised in South River, and 
he lived a life committed to the greatest calling you can have, which 
is to serve others, to protect others, to defend not just your Nation 
but her citizens. He was a member of the New Jersey Air National Guard. 
He loved his country. And I am proud to say he loved Jersey too. He was 
a New Jersey Devils fan. He proudly, in his work and commitment, served 
his country in the 108th Security Forces Squadron in Saudi Arabia and 
Kyrgyzstan.
  Officer Sicknick was a reliable and cherished colleague. If you talk 
to those who knew him, they knew that he was a man of honor and decency 
and kindness. They knew he loved this job. He loved being a Capitol 
Police officer. He loved serving this Nation. He loved helping people. 
He loved his work.
  That love is evident in so many stories shared by his family and 
friends, people who, in this time of painful grief, are still 
celebrating the life he lived even though it was cut short by hate. 
People speak to his character and the qualities, the values that made 
him so special. He was kind. He was patient. Like many of those who 
rise in their service to this country, he was humble. And he was 
selfless.
  You talk to people who knew him really well, and they remember him as 
the kind of officer who would go out of his way, not just in his 
service to those of us who frequent the Capitol but to make sure that 
his colleagues, his fellow Capitol Police officers, were also doing OK. 
He was not just a leader; he was a servant. And they remember him 
living with that sense of honor and that sense of duty. They remember 
him as the kind of person who would stand courageously in the face of a 
colleague, who would sacrifice for them, who believed that service 
meant commitment, meant bringing your grit and your guts and your love. 
And that is what he did.
  On January 6, 2021, when a violent mob attacked this Capitol, Officer 
Sicknick stood for America. He stood for this Capitol and all of its 
inhabitants. He was steadfast. He was courageous. He stood in the 
breach to protect the lives of the Members of this body, their staffs, 
personnel. He faced down terrorist attackers and sacrificed himself, 
his own safety, his own security, and ultimately his life in the name 
of love of country and of the countrymen and--women.
  Officer Sicknick is the very definition of a hero, and he deserves to 
be remembered for the richness of his life, the way that he loved, and 
the devotion that he gave this Nation. That he is no longer with us 
today is a grievous tragedy, and it is also a crime. This great man was 
murdered. This crime demands the full attention of Federal law 
enforcement officials. Anyone who still harbors doubt about what 
happened here on January 6 should think of him.
  On January 6, when extremists, when terrorists, when White 
supremacists attacked our Nation's Capitol, they took the life of one 
of our officers. They spilled his blood. They took a son away from his 
parents. They took a sibling away from his brothers. They committed 
this treachery while waving flags, claiming solidarity--some of them--
with law enforcement, but it was hate--it was hate; it was hate--that 
brought terror to our Capitol and the death of one of our sons.
  So many of the words that led up to that day, the lies that were 
told, the incitement and the encouragement, came from the highest 
office of our land to dotted members of authority across our country--
these collective actions that led to the moment, the terrorists who are 
directly responsible as well.
  In the aftermath, a hero, a Capitol Police officer, is dead-- a 
champion, a hero. This is a senseless tragedy, an awful crime. I am not 
alone when I say to Officer Sicknick's family and loved ones that we--
that I vow to hold those responsible for this heinous crime 
accountable.
  We must honor Officer Sicknick's heroism and sacrifice not just with 
our words but by what we do here in the coming days, what we do as a 
nation, how we all take responsibility in the aftermath of a horrific 
moment.

[[Page S55]]

  Officer Sicknick died for this country. He did not die in vain. We, 
the living, must--must--continue with his level of courage as we tell 
the truth, as we hold others responsible and for account, as we try to 
live in the spirit that he lived: with humility, honor, courage, 
kindness, love, decency.
  May Officer Brian Sicknick always be remembered for his service to 
the country he loved, and may we rise to his example and honor him. All 
those who have fallen in defense of this Nation, may we honor them in 
how we live for this country.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  (Mrs. CAPITO assumed the Chair.)
  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Blackburn.) Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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