[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19105-19106]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    MOMENT OF SILENCE TO HONOR OFFICER CHESTNUT AND DETECTIVE GIBSON

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
Senate will observe a moment of silence in honor of Officer Jacob J. 
Chestnut and Detective John M. Gibson of the United States Capitol 
Police who fell in the line of duty defending this Capitol on this day 
in 1998.
  (Moment of silence.)
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, there are a select few men and women who 
come to work every day with one primary job: to protect those of us who 
are fortunate enough to call the U.S. Capitol Building our office and 
all who come here from all corners of the country to see for themselves 
the heart of our democracy.
  Special Agent John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut were two such 
men. Every day for almost two decades they kept us safe. Eleven years 
ago today, as the Chaplain announced in his prayer, they gave their 
lives while protecting us. On this day in 1998, a madman came through 
an entrance on the east side of the building in midafternoon and shot 
Officer Chestnut at pointblank range. Officer Chestnut died instantly. 
Agent Gibson confronted the man, shooting him and stopping him. Gibson 
was himself hit, and he died later that day.
  I can clearly remember both these brave men, both of whom were in 
their 18th year of service as Capitol policemen when they were killed.
  I can remember when my wife became ill at a congressional retreat we 
had in Virginia. It was Agent Gibson who ran to her side. I can 
remember how he was so focused and had run so far from the Capitol 
Police headquarters to our room, he was sweating profusely, and how he 
treated her with kindness and care. Agent Gibson, who was from 
Massachusetts, would, every morning, race to the back of the sports 
section when baseball season was on to find the box score for his 
beloved Boston Red Sox. He was a generous neighbor and loving father to 
his daughter and two sons.
  Officer Chestnut, whom everyone called J.J., was a father of five who 
loved his job and loved his country. He had served in the Air Force for 
20 years. He fought in Vietnam. At the time of the shooting, he was 
just weeks away from retiring.
  Gibson and Chestnut lay in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, just steps 
from where they were murdered, a distinction Congress has conferred 
upon only a handful of Americans, including Abraham Lincoln, John 
Kennedy, and our unknown soldiers. Jacob Chestnut was the first African 
American to ever be so honored in the Capitol Rotunda.
  On this solemn anniversary, we pause to appreciate not just the 
bravery of two men who saved so many others but each and every Capitol 
police officer who does his or her job so valiantly every single day of 
the year.
  On behalf of the entire Senate, everyone who works and visits here, I 
extend my appreciation.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republican leader is 
recognized.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, when we stand in this Capitol dedicated 
to freedom, we must remember freedom's costs. So I rise to speak about 
Jacob Joseph Chestnut and John Michael Gibson.
  Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson, both of the Capitol Police, 
gave their lives 11 years ago today in defense of the men and women who 
work in and visit the Capitol.
  A plaque in this building commemorates their bravery. Their names 
have been etched upon the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, 
which stands 1 mile from here. And the headquarters of the U.S. Capitol 
Police bears their names.
  Officer Chestnut, or J.J. to his friends, was a 20-year veteran of 
the Air Force, and had 18 years of service to the Capitol Police. John 
Gibson also had 18 years of Capitol Police service, and until that day 
had never had to draw his weapon.
  Both men left behind their wives, children, beloved family members, 
and friends. Both men were part of an elite team. Capitol Police 
officers, with their unique mission, are charged with protecting not 
only our lives but our very system of government.
  My friend, the majority leader, a former Capitol Police officer 
himself, knows both the honor and the danger that comes with the job. 
And so as we honor Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson today, we also 
honor every man and woman of the Capitol Police who have bravely 
volunteered for this hazardous but important duty.
  So today the Senate honors J.J. Chestnut and John Gibson. We are 
grateful for their heroic sacrifice, and we remember their families, 
whom we embrace as we would our own.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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