[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 23610]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING DEPUTY SHERIFF PATRICK NEAL

  (Mr. PRICE of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Deputy 
Sheriff Patrick Neal of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department. He 
was recently named the Top Cop by the National Association of Police 
Organizations, and yesterday I had a chance to meet this hero. His 
exemplary actions took place in August 2004 when he tracked a wanted 
felon to a suspect's neighborhood and found him standing by his truck.
  The criminal took out a pistol and opened fire on Deputy Sheriff Neal 
from nearly point-blank range. In the exchange, Deputy Sheriff Neal was 
shot six times. The criminal was shot four times, falling to the 
ground, causing him to lose his weapon. However, he tried to crawl and 
gain his gun again, determined to kill Deputy Sheriff Neal.
  Having been struck in the face and nearly blacking out due to blood 
loss, Deputy Sheriff Neal mustered everything he had and fired one last 
time, ending the confrontation for good.
  Mr. Speaker, modern-day heroes are very rare. Deputy Sheriff Neal is 
as close as they come. His selflessness and courage under fire 
epitomized what it means to be a public servant hero. On behalf of my 
constituents, I thank Deputy Sheriff Neal for his dedicated service to 
his community, our State and our Nation.

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