John Hoeven: “I rise today and join my colleague Senator Cramer to pay tribute to a truly exceptional young man, Fargo Police Officer…”

“I rise today and join my colleague Senator Cramer to pay tribute to a truly exceptional young man, Fargo Police Officer Jake Wallin. Tomorrow, the Fargo community will gather to honor Officer Wallin, who was tragically killed in the line of duty on July 14. The Senate's debate on the National Defense Authorization Act prevents both myself and Senator Cramer from being there in person. So we wanted to do what we could to pay our respects here to Officer Wallin on the Senate floor. As a member of the Minnesota National Guard, he served both in Afghanistan and in Iraq. His platoon captain had this to say of Officer Wallin: Jake was that individual that you could always trust. Any time that you asked him to step up or do anything, there was no hesitation. That dedication to service continued after his deployments to the Middle East. Following his time overseas, Jake made his home in Fargo, ND. He graduated from the Fargo Police Academy and joined the Fargo Police Department because, as he put it, ``I've always wanted to work in some sort of position that had purpose behind my job. Police officer is always what came to me.'' Jake had only been on the job since April, but his impact on the community will not be forgotten. Police Chief Zibolski said that, even in his final moments, he was thinking of his fellow officers and trying to save the lives of those fellow officers.…”