[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1383-1386]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       REMEMBERING U.S. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER VERNON ALSTON, JR.

  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a fellow Delawarean, 
U.S. Capitol Police Officer Vernon Alston, who passed away unexpectedly 
last month at the much too young age of 44.
  Officer Alston was a fixture in the House of Representatives, 
spending nearly 20 years on the Hill with the Capitol Police. As one of 
his colleagues, Officer Scott McBane, noted, Vernon was a ``gentle 
giant.'' His wife Nicole describes him as ``a very genuine man'' who 
had a deep and genuine love for people.
  While I didn't have the privilege of knowing Officer Alston 
personally, we shared at least two commitments: to be in Washington 
each morning to go to work and to be back home in Delaware to see our 
kids each night.
  For years, Vernon's shift started at 5 a.m., meaning he would be 
beginning his 90-minute commute from Magnolia, DE, at a time when few, 
if any, of the people he would soon be protecting would even be awake. 
For those who knew him, Vernon's willingness to drive 3 hours a day 
just to be home with his family every night wasn't the only reflection 
of his commitment to service and his family.
  In fact, Vernon's entire career is a testament to his passion for 
helping others. While still a student at Howard University, he joined 
the U.S. Army Reserve and served as an Army reservist until 1994. After 
graduating from college in 1995, Vernon joined the DC Army National 
Guard and served as a member of the Guard for another decade.
  In 1996, Vernon joined the U.S. Capitol Police and spent the next two 
decades dedicated not just to keeping lawmakers and their families and 
our offices' visitors safe but doing so with humility, a smile, and 
with a relentlessly positive attitude.
  It is not just the job Vernon chose to dedicate his life to that says 
so much about his character but how he did it. Those who served with 
him will tell you how he always wore a smile on his face and never had 
a harsh word to say.
  Two weeks ago Vernon died as he lived both his professional and 
personal life--helping people around him. In this case, he was 
shoveling snow for his next door neighbor in the aftermath of one of 
the biggest storms to hit our beloved home State of Delaware in years.
  From the employees of the House and Senate who work around-the-clock 
to keep the lights on to the Members of Congress ourselves, everyone 
plays their part in keeping this institution working and in making our 
country's

[[Page 1384]]

legislative process functional and accessible. That accessibility, that 
openness, is a guiding light to which nations around the world aspire, 
and that is in many ways a direct reflection of the efforts of Officer 
Alston and fellow Capitol Police officers who serve with bravery and 
tirelessness, day in and day out.
  When we talk about public service on this floor, we are often 
referring to our country or our constituents, but just as important is 
service to our colleagues, family, and friends.
  Vernon first met his wife Nicole when they were both students at 
Howard in 1992, but they didn't truly connect until running into each 
other near this Capitol 15 years ago. It was just 6 months after that, 
Nicole remembers, that she married the man of her dreams.
  Let me leave with you a passage from the Scriptures, Galatians 6:9-
10, which teaches us:

       Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper 
     time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, 
     as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people.

  Whether in the Army Reserve, at his post outside the Cannon House 
Office Building or at his home in Delaware, Vernon sought the 
opportunity to do good to all people, and in doing so he made a real 
difference in the lives of those he knew and those he served.
  While the words and tributes to Officer Alston that have poured forth 
from his colleagues and his friends may provide little comfort today to 
his friends and family, it is my hope and prayer that Nicole, Brittany, 
Yasmeen, Brandon, Israel, and Breyden can take solace in knowing in the 
years to come that the man they so loved was beloved by so many people.
  Thank you.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.
  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, the Senator, my colleague from Delaware, 
and I are close friends and we ride the same train together a lot of 
days, coming and going to Delaware. I would like to think that we think 
alike and share a lot of the same values. It was interesting to listen 
to his remarks about Vernon Alston, which actually reflect and track 
very closely with what I am prepared to say. But there are some 
differences. I am happy to be here with him, and I think it is great 
that we are here. I think we are also speaking for John Carney, who is 
our Congressman, and who would, if he could speak on this floor, join 
us today as well.
  Mr. President, I also want to join Senator Coons and the Presiding 
Officer, who presides in the chair almost every time I speak on this 
floor. I don't know how this works out, but it is good to see the 
Presiding Officer and this new group of pages who have joined us this 
week to tell you about a man you never had a chance to meet who was a 
Capitol policeman for almost 20 years.
  Senator Coons talked about him. I am going to say a few words about 
him, and then we will probably head for the train and head home.
  Let me just say a few things about Vernon J. Alston, Jr. His Dad is 
also Vernon J. Alston. As Senator Coons said, he passed away at the age 
of 44. We did have a big snowstorm. We had a lot of snow. We had a 
couple of feet here and almost that much in parts of Delaware.
  When Vernon died, he had actually just finished helping a neighbor 
shovel out after the snowstorm, and that sort of epitomized his life. 
He was always helping other people, not asking for anything much in 
return but setting a good example to every one of us. But in life and 
death, Vernon epitomized the best of our country--people who put their 
lives on the line to protect and serve in this Capitol Complex and 
those of us who live and work in this part of the Nation.
  The U.S. Capitol Police are some of the finest men and women in 
uniform. I say this as a former naval flight officer and a retired Navy 
captain. We have wonderful men and women who serve us and all the folks 
who come from all over the world to visit this place throughout the 
year. But each day these officers perform perhaps the most important 
jobs here on the Hill--protecting those of us who are privileged to 
work here either as Members of the Senate and the House or staff and 
also the millions of visitors and folks who travel here from not just 
the 50 States but from a lot of places around the globe.
  Whether these officers are patrolling the ground to prevent or detect 
mischief, investigating suspicious activity or responding to 
emergencies, their mission is the same. Their mission is to protect one 
of our country's principal symbols of democracy--the United States 
Capitol. Their mission is not one that comes without sacrifice. Just 17 
years ago, I remember this to the day, in 1998, two of our Capitol 
Police officers, not far from the sound of my voice, were gunned down 
in the line of duty when a gunman opened fire, trying to force his way 
into the Capitol.
  Vernon, in his service with the U.S. Army Reserve, with the National 
Guard, and with the Capitol Police force, consistently exhibited 
unwavering courage, devotion to duty, and, above all, honor. In the way 
he lived his life and how we remember him, Vernon reminds each of us 
just how good we can be and ought to be.
  Vernon Alston was born in 1971 to his mom Barbara Alston and Vernon 
Alston, Sr.--and not in this country. He was born in Vincenza, which is 
a town in Italy where his dad Vernon, Sr., was stationed in the U.S. 
Air Force. Vernon spent the first 10 years of his life in Italy before 
his father was transferred to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, DE. There 
Vernon attended grade school on the Air Force base and later graduated 
from Dover High School, a school that I have been privileged to visit 
many times. He went on to attend Howard University in Washington, DC, 
and graduated from there about 20 years ago in 1995.
  Vernon was still a student at Howard University when he answered the 
call of duty, following the footsteps of his dad Vernon, Sr., and his 
grandfather David Alston, who was a U.S. Army World War II veteran. In 
1991, Vernon--this is the son--joined the U.S. Army Reserve, and he 
served in the Army Reserve until 1994. After graduating from college in 
1995, Vernon joined the District of Columbia Army National Guard and 
served as a member of the Army National Guard for another 10 years.
  I am sure our Presiding Officer spends time with his Guard troops in 
his home State. We do, too. We have an Army Guard and an Air Guard in 
Delaware. We are very proud of the literally thousands of men and women 
who serve our country. I think 300 are in Afghanistan. We will welcome 
some folks home this weekend. We are welcoming some folks home this 
weekend.
  But this is what Winston Churchill used to say about people who serve 
in the Guard or Reserve and have their own day jobs. Winston Churchill 
said they are twice the citizen. Think about that--twice the citizen.
  I know a lot of people who are in the Army Guard who used to be in 
the Army, and a lot of folks in the Air Guard in Delaware who used to 
be in the Air Force. They have their day jobs, and they serve our State 
and our Nation through the Guard. They are two-times the citizen. So 
was Vernon.
  He began his service with the Capitol Police Force 20 years ago, and 
for those 20 years he protected and served the Capitol Complex and its 
community, including folks such as us here: Senators, staff, our pages 
sitting here at the dais today, members of our families, staffs, 
members of their families, and millions of folks who visit our Capitol 
throughout each year. Vernon's positive energy, which Senator Coons has 
alluded to, and his attitude made a lasting impression with his Capitol 
Police colleagues.
  In the latter part of his career, most recently Vernon was stationed 
at the Capitol powerplant, which provides steam and water that is used 
to heat and cool buildings across the Capitol Complex. At that plant, 
it was his responsibility to check visitors and staff at the door and 
work to keep that facility safe and secure every day, 24 hours a day, 7 
days a week, throughout the year.
  According to his colleagues, he always found time to ask others: 
Well,

[[Page 1385]]

how are you doing? And he possessed the all-too-rare quality of being a 
patient listener. My dad used to say to my sister and me that God gave 
us two ears, one mouth, and we should use them in that proportion--
listen a lot more than we talk. I always admire good listeners, and 
Vernon was one of those.
  One of his fellow officers described Vernon as a ``beacon.'' A beacon 
of what? Well, a ``beacon of positivity,'' a positive force. No matter 
the mission--an early morning for a Presidential inauguration or a late 
night for the State of the Union Address at the other end of the 
Capitol--Vernon always wore a smile on his face.
  In 2008, while Vernon was on the job and patrolling the Capitol 
grounds, he ran into a woman whom he had actually run into before named 
Nicole Davis. Despite attending Howard University at the same time, 
Vernon and Nicole never really knew each other. But earlier this week, 
I talked to Nicole, who for years also made the commute from Magnolia, 
DE--just south of Dover--to serve not in the Capitol Police but to 
serve our country in another capacity here in our Nation's Capital. She 
told me their love story or an abbreviated version of it. When they 
were at Howard University at roughly the same point in time, Vernon 
would see her from afar and would admire her. He never really summoned 
the courage--if you will, the temerity--to go up to her and say: Here 
is who I am; who are you? But he sort of admired her from afar and 
wished he could get to know her.
  Many years later, while he was on patrol, I think at the corner of 
First and Independence, guess who comes walking along--that same woman 
whom he had admired from afar all those years ago. They struck up a 
conversation, hit it off, and went out on a date together. The rest is 
history. Six months later they were married. I know some people who 
married that quickly, and I am one of them. Vernon and Nicole knew what 
they were looking for. They were looking for each other, and they found 
each other. They have a wonderful family they have raised.
  Later when they were onboard the Spirit of Washington, they became 
husband and wife. After they married, they moved, in this case to 
Delaware. As I said, people in Magnolia--their claim to fame is that 
Magnolia, DE, is a little town that is the center of the universe. 
There are probably other places where people think they are the center 
of the universe, but the Alston family lived in Magnolia, the center of 
the universe, for a number of years.
  Nicole, as Senator Coons said--not only did Vernon get up and drive 
to work every day, so did Nicole. And they didn't carpool many days; 
they each drove separately. They both loved Delaware, but they wanted 
to work here and to serve our Nation in different roles. Nicole served 
and worked for a number of years at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, 
while Vernon was keeping things safe here in our Capitol. Together they 
have five children: Brittany, a sophomore at Delaware State University, 
the home of the Hornets in Dover; Yasmeen, a senior at Polytech High 
School in Delaware, the home of the Panthers, just south of Dover; 
Brandon, a sophomore at Paul Public Charter School in DC; and Israel 
and Breyden, who are both in preschool.
  I am close to closing, but I want to share a story that we heard from 
Vernon's mom the other day. It deals with the time when he was in the 
fourth grade. Vernon's principal told Vernon's parents that he was a 
great example to his peers, to other students. The principal said he 
knew he would come to learn about Vernon's accomplishments and 
achievements in the newspapers years down the road.
  Think of that. I don't know what my principals were thinking about me 
when I was in the fourth or fifth or sixth grade, but I don't think any 
of them thought that I would end up in the Senate or that they would be 
reading about me in the newspaper or watching me on television. But 
when Vernon was not even 10 years old, his principal knew he was a guy 
who was on his way to being somebody his parents could be enormously 
proud of.
  I think it is clear through the outpouring of love and accounts of so 
many others after Vernon's untimely passing that Vernon's principal was 
right. If he is out there listening somewhere and if his teachers are 
out there listening somewhere, I thank them for helping--along with 
Vernon's parents--raise a remarkable young man.
  Today I rise to commemorate Vernon, to celebrate his life with 
Senator Coons by my side, and on behalf of Congressman John Carney, our 
at-large Congressman from Delaware. We want to offer to Vernon's 
family--particularly to Nicole, their children, their friends, and 
family--our support and our deepest sympathy on their tragic loss and 
really the loss to all of us here. We consider Vernon and those with 
whom he served as part of our family.
  I asked my staff to see if they could find a couple of people who 
serve in the Capitol Police who might have something to say about 
Vernon, and I want to quote them and maybe close my remarks with their 
words.
  These are the words Officer Scott McBane said about Vernon Alston:

       Vern Alston was an outstanding human being. To know Vern 
     was to love him. I was privileged to work with Vern for three 
     years at the Traffic One checkpoint of the House Division [on 
     the House side]. He treated everyone he met with patience, 
     good humor, and remarkable kindness. A great talker who told 
     very funny stories, he also had that rare quality of being a 
     sympathetic and a patient listener.

  We heard that before, didn't we?
  Continuing:

       Smart, positive, and always supportive, people would stop 
     by all day to see Vern and share their stories with him. A 
     warm and sympathetic friend to so many, Vern will be greatly 
     missed by all who knew him.

  Thank you, Scott McBane, an officer with the Capitol Police, for 
sharing those memories of Vern Alston.
  I have one more from another Capitol Police officer who knew and 
worked with Vernon. This officer's name is Michael Woodward. Michael 
said these words about Vernon Alston:

       Of all the people I have had the honor to work with Vernon 
     Alston was by far the most positive, warm, friendly and 
     outgoing person I have ever met.

  Let me just stop there. How many people in the world do you suppose 
there are who would say those words about us? Whether we happen to be 
Senators, our staff, our families, those are wonderful words for 
someone to say about us, that we were the most ``positive, warm,'' or 
``friendly and outgoing person'' that someone ever met. What a 
compliment.
  He continues:

       He was always one to greet you with a smile, and ask how 
     you and your family were doing. It doesn't matter what was 
     going on--if we were coming in early for the Inauguration or 
     staying late for the State of the Union--he always had a 
     smile. I never heard him speak a negative word or raise his 
     voice. He treated everyone as a close friend and was a beacon 
     of positivity. His passing leaves a hole that cannot be 
     filled.

  Senator Coons closed with a little Scripture from the New Testament. 
I think it was Galatians, if I am not mistaken. I will try to 
paraphrase a little something maybe from Luke and from the Book of 
James: People may not believe what we say; they will believe what we 
do. We lead by our example. And in our lives, it cannot be do as I say, 
but really do as I do.
  Throughout his life, Vernon was a great example, not just for the 
people with whom he worked on the police force here, not just for all 
of us who came into contact with him throughout the day or week, but 
for some of those millions of people whose only lasting impression of 
our country that they took home with them wherever they came from 
around the world was this wonderful Capitol Police officer who took the 
time to talk with them, to listen to them, to be patient, to be 
helpful, and to be friendly.
  There is a great lesson for all of us in that--a great lesson for all 
of us. For that, Vernon, we thank you. God bless you.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.

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  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________