[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13730-13731]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING OFFICER ROB TARGOSZ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hall of New York). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, in the very earliest days of this 
Nation, Edmund Burke said, ``All that is necessary for the triumph of 
evil is for good men to do nothing.''
  That belief became the personal creed and call to action of Officer 
Rob Targosz. Mr. Speaker, this man was a hero and a model human being 
determined to utilize every ounce of his

[[Page 13731]]

mind, soul, and body to protect the lives of thousands of his fellow 
Americans so that we could all live in a safer, more peaceful Nation. 
Rob Targosz was a second lieutenant in the 12th Airborne Special 
Forces. He was a member of the SWAT team, and he was a police officer 
of the Gilbert Police Department in Gilbert, Arizona, for 12 years. He 
served there on the DUI Task Force because Rob felt that one of the 
greatest purposes of his life was to combat and prevent drunk driving.
  The license plate on the back of his police motorcycle displayed the 
title ``Agent of Justice.'' He defended our citizens and our laws, and 
he sought justice with a determination so real that it led him face to 
face with the very tragedy he had dedicated his life to protect others 
from. In one of life's great paradoxical mysteries, while on duty, Rob 
Targosz was killed by a drunk driver.
  Mr. Speaker, drunk driving is the embodiment of apathy, callousness, 
and selfishness, which is the very opposite of everything that 
personified Officer Rob Targosz. The enemy that took Rob's life was the 
very thing that broke his heart and fueled his desire to battle against 
it. But it did not defeat him, because Rob Targosz was a man of abiding 
faith in Jesus Christ, whom he held as his eternal Savior. And Rob left 
behind him in this life a legacy of heroism, love for America, and 
countless Americans whose lives are preserved because he protected them 
with his own.
  Therefore, his battle continues and his search for justice pulsates 
in the hearts of other Americans, who, like him, continue to defend and 
protect us all. Rob's life also continues in the lion heart of his 
beloved wife, who walked by his slain body, picked up his armor and 
weapons, and continues his fight by educating the public about the 
unspeakable destruction caused by drunk driving.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the many reasons that human life is so precious 
is because it allows the world to see when a single man can live and do 
and live his life, however short it might be, so that others may be the 
better for it. Americans are alive and families are whole because of 
the life and work of Officer Rob Targosz. And the world is better 
because he showed us an example of a truly noble and excellent soul. 
May his example fire the souls of us all to continue his enduring quest 
to protect the innocent.
  God bless Rob Targosz and his family.

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