[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17257]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING SERGEANT GREGORY J. RUDOLPH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THOMAS M. REYNOLDS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 25, 2007

  Mr. REYNOLDS. Madam Speaker, with great pride and appreciation I rise 
today to honor a dedicated, determined and now highly acclaimed law 
enforcement officer who has stopped at nothing to serve his country and 
his neighbors.
  Today I am delighted to join the chorus of well-deserved praise for 
Sergeant Gregory J. Rudolph, an officer who has led a life deeply 
committed to making his Wyoming County community a better and safer 
place. This year, Sgt. Rudolph was honored by both the New York State 
Sheriff Association and then the National Sheriff's Association as 
Deputy of the Year, an award reflecting Sgt. Rudolph's supreme service 
as an officer.
  Yet more than any awards can show, Sgt. Rudolph is a true hero--a 
selfless individual who has risked his own life to protect the lives of 
others. And more than my words can demonstrate, Sgt. Rudolph is an 
inspiration to those in Wyoming County and beyond--a survivor who has 
overcome each and every challenge with a positive attitude and a 
steadfast strength of will.
  After graduating from Genesee Community College, Sgt. Rudolph began 
his career of service in 1994 by enlisting in the United States Navy. 
While serving admirably as a Front Line Supervisor for 3 years, Sgt. 
Rudolph was confronted with an enemy beyond the scope of his military 
training--the onset of cancer. It was a battle that Sgt. Rudolph would 
wage with characteristic resolve and dignity, and it was a battle he 
would win, surviving a horrible disease and continuing on even stronger 
than before.
  After his honorable discharge in 1997, Sgt. Rudolph returned to 
Wyoming County to serve in a different capacity, as a substitute 
teacher at Attica Central School. While teaching, he would begin his 
law enforcement career at the Attica Police Department in 1997, and 4 
years later joined the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office as a deputy 
sheriff. Described as reliable, loyal, unselfish and sincere by fellow 
officers, Rudolph was promoted to sergeant in 2005.
  Sgt. Rudolph's well-known qualities were never more apparent than on 
March 15, 2006, when he would again summon his tremendous willpower to 
serve and protect to the best of his abilities. Responding to a call of 
an armed man threatening suicide, Sgt. Rudolph was struck in the face 
by shotgun blasts after the occupant of the house opened fire without 
warning or provocation. Despite his injuries, Sgt. Rudolph maintained 
communication with other officers and provided invaluable information, 
eventually leading to the peaceful arrest of the gunman and saving 
other officers and innocent civilians from any further injuries. Sgt. 
Rudolph would soon fully recover and in remarkable time return to work. 
A partial pellet still left lodged in his face, Sgt. Rudolph today 
supervises the 3 to 11 p.m. shift, a survivor yet again and a role 
model to us all.
  Thus, Madam Speaker, in recognition of his tremendous and selfless 
service, as a serviceman, an educator, an officer, and a Wyoming County 
neighbor, I ask that this honorable body join me in honoring a hero and 
a survivor, Sergeant Gregory J. Rudolph.

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