Remembering Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson
July 24, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement on the Senate floor in remembrance of Officer Jacob Joseph Chestnut and Detective John Michael Gibson, who lost their lives while protecting the U.S. Capitol 15 years ago:
“This morning, I would like to start by remembering the sacrifice of two 18-year veterans of the Capitol Police: Detective John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut. On this day in 1998, Gibson and Chestnut paid the ultimate price while standing in defense of the United States Capitol. We know these men fell defending more than just a structure, though – we know they fell defending more than just the Members sent here, or even the staffs that help each of us better serve constituents and country. No, these men died while protecting everything this building represents: our democratic way of life, the freedom granted to each of us by a creator we often thank, but never see.
“We honor these men for their lives. And we honor them for the final act of heroism that ended them.
“That’s why a plaque inside the Capitol commemorates their sacrifice. That’s why the Capitol Police Headquarters bears both of their names. That, I know, is of little solace to the wives, and children, and friends left behind. But it’s a small way of saying ‘We Remember’ when the scale of the debt owed can never truly be repaid in full.
“So today the United States Senate honors John Gibson and J.J. Chestnut for their sacrifice. And the Senate sends its condolences, and its gratitude, to those who loved them most.”