Officer killed in attack on Congress to lie in honor at Capitol, be interred at Arlington Cemetery

[ad_1]

The Capitol Hill police officer killed in the Jan. 6 attack on Congress will be given state honors in the Capitol Rotunda and be interred at Arlington National Cemetery, officials announced Friday evening.

Numerous lawmakers had pushed for military and congressional leaders to grant the honors to Brian Sicknick, a New Jersey Air National Guard veteran and 12-year Capitol Police officer who died after being struck in the head with a fire extinguisher by rioters in the assault on the Capitol building.

In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the move was designed to both recognize Sicknick’s sacrifice and allow the country to grieve his loss.

“The heroism of Officer Sicknick and the Capitol Police force during the violent insurrection against our Capitol helped save lives, defend the temple of our democracy and ensure that the Congress was not diverted from our duty to the Constitution,” they said. “His sacrifice reminds us every day of our obligation to our country and to the people we serve.”

Sicknick, 42, served in the Guard from 1997 to 2003. Officials said he served on the 108th Security Forces Squadron, 108th Wing based out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.

He deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1999 in support of Operation Southern Watch and Kyrgyzstan in 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He had served on the Capitol Police force since 2008, and recently was assigned to the department’s First Responder’s Unit.

Only 36 individuals have been granted permission by Congress to lie in state or lie in honor at the Capitol rotunda.

By tradition, presidents and government dignitaries are granted the honor of lying in state, but individuals who have laid in honor at the Capitol include Rosa Parks, Billy Graham and two Capitol Police officers killed by a gunman attempting to attack lawmakers in 1998.

Sicknick’s casket is scheduled to arrive at the Capitol on Feb. 2 with time for colleagues and lawmakers to pay their respects until the following day. A congressional tribute to the fallen officer is scheduled for Feb. 3 at 10:30 a.m.

He is scheduled to be interred at Arlington later that day.

[ad_2]

Source link