[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 7178]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING SERGEANT ROBERT WILSON III

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today we pay tribute to Sergeant Robert 
Wilson III of the Philadelphia Police Department, who sacrificed his 
life to protect innocent civilians during an armed robbery at a store 
called GameStop in north Philadelphia in March 2015.
  Sergeant Wilson was there buying a present for his son when he 
confronted two armed robbers. He moved to draw attention away from the 
area where the civilians were standing in what ended up being a fatal 
exchange of gunfire.
  For his exceptional bravery and selflessness in the face of danger, 
President Obama awarded Sergeant Wilson with the Public Safety Officer 
Medal of Valor, 1 of 13 officers who received the award and the first 
member of the Philadelphia Police Department to earn such an honor.
  No medal or distinction can adequately pay tribute to Sergeant 
Wilson's sacrifice and the horror his family has gone through over this 
last year. Sergeant Wilson's grandmother, Constance, who accepted the 
medal on his behalf, said of the pain of losing her grandson, ``a big 
hole was put in my heart.''
  Sadly, the Wilson family is not alone in its sacrifice: 128 police 
officers were killed in the line of duty in 2015, including five in 
Pennsylvania. To paraphrase something President Lincoln once said, they 
gave the ``last full measure of devotion'' to the communities they 
served.
  As public officials, we have a deep and abiding obligation to support 
those serving in law enforcement. Our support must be in deed and in 
word, which means making sure those law enforcement officers have the 
resources they need to keep our communities and themselves safe. All 
public officials must pray and ask humbly whether our actions are 
worthy of the valor of those who serve.
  On the Senate floor today, we express our profound gratitude for the 
service of Medal of Valor recipient Sergeant Wilson and the sacrifice 
of his family.

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