[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 37 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H766-H767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR BURNSVILLE POLICE OFFICERS PAUL ELMSTRAND AND 
          MATTHEW RUGE AND BURNSVILLE FIREFIGHTER ADAM FINSETH

  (Ms. CRAIG asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. CRAIG. Mr. Speaker, we rise today on behalf of a grateful Nation 
to honor three heroes from my Minnesota community: Burnsville Police 
Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam 
Finseth. These three public servants gave their lives protecting us on 
February 18.
  Officer Ruge is remembered as quick to lend a helping hand and make 
his community a better place.
  Officer Elmstrand is described by his loved ones as a man with a 
servant's heart. Putting others first was never a choice for Paul. It 
was just who he was.
  Firefighter/Paramedic Finseth, who gave his life trying to save his 
colleagues, was a caring husband, brother, father, and friend, who 
spent decades serving his community and his Nation in Iraq.
  There are no words to describe the void that this loss has left for 
their families, Minnesota's law enforcement community, and for the city 
of Burnsville and our entire State.
  Nothing we say today will bring Paul, Matthew, and Adam back. They

[[Page H767]]

gave their lives to save seven children from harm in that house that 
awful morning. Nothing could be more heroic.
  We can honor their lives by giving the police officers and first 
responders who keep our communities safe the respect and the support 
they deserve.
  I ask Members to join me in a moment of silence from a grateful 
Nation to honor the lives of Paul Elmstrand, Adam Finseth, and Matthew 
Ruge.

                          ____________________