Richard Gephardt: “first, I want to thank the Speaker of the House and the majority leader and the majority whip and all of the Members of…”

“first, I want to thank the Speaker of the House and the majority leader and the majority whip and all of the Members of the House who today with one voice bring this resolution in memory and to honor the memory of these two great officers, Officer Chestnut and Officer Gibson. On Friday, at 3:40 or so in the afternoon, the family of the People's House was attacked by a deranged killer. We rise today in anguish and in real sorrow and devastation at the loss that occurred here in our House of Representatives and our Capitol. But our loss is not nearly the loss that is felt by these dear families. On Saturday, I had the opportunity to go to the House of Officer Gibson and to meet his wife and his children. Imagine putting yourself into the shoes of his wife who has lost her husband of many years without even so much as the opportunity to say goodbye. Imagine putting yourself into the shoes of a 13-year-old or a 15-year-old who adored your father and now he is gone. Their loss is unimaginable, unfathomable and impossible to understand. I hugged his wife and told her how sorry all of us are and how much we loved them and cared for them. And I told them that even though they had lost their father, that in a real sense they now have 435 additional fathers and mothers, and that we will never, ever forget and we will never, ever let them down. We will be there for them, for Officer Gibson's children and wife, Officer Chestnut's wife and children.”