Political Quotes

“I rise to pay tribute to two heroes, Private First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut and Detective John Michael Gibson of the U.S. Capitol Police, who sacrificed their lives not only for those of us in Congress and for the staff and for the tourists, but for all of the American people. J.J. Chestnut guarded the main entrance. John Gibson was assigned to Majority Whip Tom DeLay. Both were veterans of the force, took their responsibilities seriously, so much so that in saving the lives of others, they lost their own. We take this safety for granted. Who could ever imagine a shooting in the Nation's Capitol, the shrine of liberty and justice to all? Who could ever imagine the death of two officers because of that shooting? We shall miss these men who guided us, who cheered us, who cared for us, who asked us about our families and we inquired about theirs, who shared their interests, always there, alert and responsive. We will miss them, yes, but they leave behind them their wives without husbands, their children without fathers, the Capitol Police without two colleagues. We offer our condolences to Officer Chestnut's widow Wen Ling and his five children, Joseph, Janece, Janet, Karen and William; and to Detective Gibson's widow Evelyn and his three children, Kristen, John and Daniel. Those of us who are Americans, who are part of the Capitol Hill family, are in mourning over the senseless loss of these two fine men, all across Washington and across the Nation.”