Paul Cook: “I rise to pay a brief tribute to the officers who died Friday trying to preserve the safety and sanctity of this…”

“I rise to pay a brief tribute to the officers who died Friday trying to preserve the safety and sanctity of this hallowed building. We will dissect Friday's events for months, looking for ways to make sure this tragedy never happens again. We should. This is necessary work. But what sets these Capitol Police apart from the rest of us who do business in this building is their ability to act in a split second, to make decisions that can exact the highest possible price, without hesitation. Friday reminded me that in the sea of people on Capitol Hill trained to analyze, debate and ponder, there is a small army of men and women trained to act immediately, decisively and heroically. Like John Gibson did. Like Jacob Chestnut did. These people lined up to pay tribute to these two courageous men underscores a fact I have sometimes forgotten: Without the work they do, we could not do the work we do. I do not think I will ever forget that again. I may not remember to say thank you every single time I rush past an entrance carefully and cheerfully guarded by police, but I am resolved to do that as often as possible. And whether spoken every day or not, I think, for all of us here, the words 'thank you' are in our hearts forever. Thank you.”