Rep. Slotkin Seeks Arlington National Cemetery Burial for Capitol Police Officer

Anne Seymour, a crime victim advocate, creates a makeshift memorial for U.S. Capitol Polic
Al Drago/Getty Images
Penny Starr

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) is asking military leaders to allow U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Sicknick, 42, who served in the National Guard and had worked for the Capitol Police since 2008, died a day after he interacted with rioters who stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday.

“Today, I spoke with Army Secretary [Ryan] McCarthy, CJCS Gen. [Mark] Milley, and Air Force Chief of Staff General CQ Brown to ask that U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, a veteran, be given posthumous special honors and burial at Arlington National Cemetery,” Slotkin posted on Twitter.

“Officer Sicknick died in the line of duty as a U.S. Capitol Police Officer but did so living up to the oath he swore in the military: to protect and defend the Constitution. He has paid the ultimate sacrifice & he & his family should be recognized for all he did for his country,” Slotkin said.

Slotkin wrote a letter to McCarthy, Milley, and Brown, saying:

Staff Sergeant Sicknick as a six-year veteran of the New Jersey Air National Guard and deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Southern Watch and Kyrgyzstan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom before being honorably discharged in 2003. This week, Officer Sicknick gave his life in service to the same oath he took as an Airman: to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. He paid the ultimate price in fulfilling his oath.

I urge you to take the necessary steps to give Officer Sicknick and his family the honor they deserve.

New Jersey-based Tap into Raritan Bay website reported on the congresswoman’s request:

Although the congresswoman is a lifelong native of Michigan, she is no stranger to the New York metro region. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which took place during her first week of graduate school at Columbia University, Rep. Slotkin knew that national service would define her career. She was recruited by the CIA to be a Middle East analyst and has devoted her career to protecting the United States from national security threats. In her role at the CIA, Rep. Slotkin worked alongside the U.S. military during three tours in Iraq as a militia expert. In between her tours in Iraq, Rep. Slotkin held various defense and intelligence positions under President Bush and President Obama, including roles at the White House and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

According to a report by CNN, Sicknick’s brother, Ken, issued a statement on behalf of his family, who is “very proud” of his service.

“Brian is a hero, and that is what we would like people to remember,” Ken Sicknick said. “(He) wanted to be a police officer his entire life.”

The U.S. attorney’s office in Washington has opened a federal murder investigation into Sicknick’s death, ABC6 reported.

A GoFundMe page set up for the family has raised more than $572,000 as of Monday afternoon.

Follow Penny Starr on Twitter or send news tips to pstarr@breitbart.com

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