Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I join my colleagues and our fellow citizens all across this country in honoring the memories of Detective John Gibson…”

“I join my colleagues and our fellow citizens all across this country in honoring the memories of Detective John Gibson and Private First Class Jacob Chestnut. These two fine law enforcement officers gave their lives in the line of duty during a tragedy on Friday, July 24, 1998, while guarding the United States Capitol. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these two fine gentlemen. The United States Capitol is recognized the world over as the symbol of American freedom and of the still revolutionary idea that citizens confer power upon those who serve us in government. That it could become the scene of so heinous an act as this cannot but shake us from the complacency by which we sometimes take this all for granted. But on a beautiful summer day and with thousands of ordinary people in sight, Officers Chestnut and Gibson gave their lives as proof that everyday, in places as near as our Capitol and as far away as seven seas, men and women serve selflessly to protect the freedom that is the American birthright and the dream of millions around the globe. I commend the United States Capitol Police, the D.C. Metropolitan Police, and the other law enforcement agencies that have performed so professionally throughout this difficult period. They are a continuing tribute to their fallen comrades, and I trust that they will be inspired to serve on in their memory.”