[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 171 (Thursday, September 30, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H5564-H5565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING PRIVATE NICOLE BURNHAM

  (Mr. EMMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. EMMER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Private 
Nicole Burnham. Private Burnham didn't die on the battlefield. Her life 
was stolen by the cruelty of her fellow soldiers and the apathy of her 
superiors.
  There are several tragedies in Nicole's story.
  The first is the horrific sexual assault she endured at the hands of 
her fellow soldiers.
  The second is the failure of our military leadership to protect her.
  The third is the amount of time it took to ensure something like this 
never happens again.
  Nicole did everything right. She reported the incident and applied 
for a transfer. Instead, her superiors, who are capable of deploying 
soldiers into a war zone overnight, let her request languish for an 
unconscionable 82 days. During that time, she was harassed, ostracized, 
and assaulted a second time.

[[Page H5565]]

  A few months later, Nicole took her own life.
  On October 2, the Third Annual Nicole Burnham Veteran Suicide 5k will 
take place along the Rum River in Anoka, Minnesota, the town where 
Nicole grew up.
  We cannot forget Nicole's story, and we owe it to Nicole and her 
family to ensure her legacy is one that prevents injustices like she 
suffered from ever happening again.

                          ____________________