Expressing heartfelt sympathy for the victims and families of the shootings in Geneva and Coffee Counties in Alabama, on March 10, 2009.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 341, which expresses heartfelt sympathy for the victims and families of Geneva and Coffee Counties in Alabama.

On Tuesday, March 10, a lone gunman began a rampage in the Town of Kinston and continued into Samson and Geneva that would leave 11 dead and four injured in southeast Alabama. Without question, it was the worst tragedy Alabama has seen in recent memory.

When I first arrived in Geneva County a day after the shootings, I saw a community still in shock. You never think something like this could happen to you until tragedy strikes in your own backyard. Residents of the Wiregrass were left questioning how one of their own could commit such a heinous and violent crime on his family and neighbors.

A community can never fully prepare for events like these, but first responders, local citizens and elected officials responded to the incident with flying colors. Sympathy for the Wiregrass quickly spread, and an outpouring of aid and goodwill poured into Alabama from across the country. To my colleagues in the House and to people watching across the country, we thank you for your support.

I was impressed by the courage of the people and the ability for everyone to come together and get through this crisis. I truly believe Americans will remember the Wiregrass as a place that will do whatever it takes to help its fellow citizens. One of our greatest strengths as a country is our ability to collectively respond to tragedy and help our fellow men and women in their times of need. The response to the events of March 10 certainly epitomized the strengths of the American spirit.

After the dust settled, it became clear that the incident could have been much worse without quick and decisive action by our local law enforcement. Much has been said about the actions of law enforcement during and after the shootings, and indeed we cannot thank them enough. Without their heroic efforts, the number of casualties could have been much worse. It was a reminder of how much we appreciate those who are on the front lines protecting and defending us every day. We owe a debt of gratitude to our law enforcement officials for what they do to protect us each and every day.

Though it has been nearly 2 months since the tragedy occurred, the loss of so many in a small community still weighs heavy on the minds of the people in the Wiregrass area. To make problems worse, Geneva and Coffee Counties have experienced intense flooding and violent tornadoes over the last several weeks, inflicting hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to an already grieving community.

While the resolution on the floor today can offer little solace to the families and friends of those who lost loved ones, I wanted the people of Geneva and Coffee Counties to know that my colleagues in Washington are thinking about them and offering their sympathy and continued support.

I hope this resolution offers some peace of mind to the families of those killed: Bruce Maloy, Lisa McLendon, Andrea Myers, Corrine Gracy Myers, Sonya Smith, James Starling, James White, Virginia White, Dean Wise and Tracy Wise; and that it provides moral support and encouragement to those injured and still recovering: State Trooper Mike Gillis, Greg McCollough, Ella Meyers and Jeffrey Nelson.

And finally, we cannot forget the law enforcement and public officials who provided so much support to a community in shock. Their actions are truly appreciated and heroic.

Additionally, I would like to thank the Alabama congressional delegation, my colleagues, Representatives Aderholt, Bachus, Bonner, Davis, Griffith and Rogers, and the 50 other cosponsors of this resolution. The people of southeast Alabama will forever appreciate your unwavering support and sympathy for my constituents in the Second Congressional District of Alabama.

I urge passage of House Resolution 341.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 341) expressing heartfelt sympathy for the victims and families of the shootings in Geneva and Coffee Counties in Alabama, on March 10, 2009.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I solemnly join my colleagues in the consideration of House Resolution 341, which expresses our heartfelt sympathy for the victims and families of the shootings in Geneva and Coffee Counties of Alabama on March 10, 2009.

House Resolution 341 was introduced by our colleague Congressman Bobby Bright of Alabama on April 21, 2009, and was considered by and reported from the Oversight Committee on April 23, 2009, by voice vote. This measure has the support and cosponsorship of 58 Members of Congress.

On March 10, 2009, the people of Geneva and Coffee Counties in southeast Alabama suffered senseless shootings that resulted in the loss of 10 lives and a number of injuries. On that tragic day, the reckless killings began at the shooter's, Michael McLendon, residence in Kinston, Alabama, where he killed his own mother and in addition set the house on fire. The shooter then drove a dozen miles southeast to Samson in Geneva County, where he gunned down six more victims, including four members of his own family. The victims of this senseless act included James Alford White; Tracy Michelle Wise; Dean James Wise; and 74-year-old Virginia E. White, the shooter's own grandmother. Also killed were the wife and daughter of local sheriff's deputy Joshua Myers, Andrea Myers and Corinne Myers, who was only 18 months old.

The shooter continued on his rampage, killing three more people. These random and innocent victims were James Irvin Starling, Sonja Smith, and Bruce Wilson Malloy.

The rampage ended another 12 miles farther east in Geneva at the metals plant where, with a valiant attempt to end the rampage, the State troopers of the Dothan Post, the police department, and county sheriff's department and an officer of the Conservation and Natural Resources Department were among the first to respond and help resolve the situation. After a gun battle with police, Mr. McLendon took his own life.

The memory, the pain, and the grief of this reckless killing spree will remain with the victims in the communities of Geneva and Coffee, Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, with this bill we have the opportunity to acknowledge the lives lost and the courage and resolve of the many law enforcement officials and community members that helped end the situation. I would like to thank the gentleman from Alabama for introducing and ushering through this House such a thoughtful and considerate measure which can only express the heartfelt sympathy we all feel on behalf of those Americans that were impacted by this tragic event.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I urge my fellow colleagues to support the adoption of House Resolution 341.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the chief sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bright).

Mr. Speaker, at this point I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, I simply urge my colleagues to join with Congressman Bright and Congressman Davis in support of this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank my friend of 10 years, the gentleman from Alabama, Bobby Bright, for introducing this resolution and giving the House a chance to vote on it and pass it today, and let me pick out just two things to say about this unspeakable tragedy, if I can.

One of the mysteries of human existence is that evil can exist in a divinely inspired world. The people who live in south Alabama are some of the most humble, God-fearing, patriotic people on the face of this Earth. Their God and their faith is an animating principle to them, and it is enormously difficult to contemplate how such good people could have been visited by such remarkable afternoon horror.

I am comforted, as I know the people in that community were comforted, by all of the expressions of support from around the United States of America, by all of the people who came to their aid, by all of the people who lent their good wishes.

The second observation I would make is there is one thing that stood out to me beyond the television images. We all saw the television images, which were sheer terror. But the next morning I made a phone call to one of the chiefs of the police in one of these small communities and I asked him if he knew any of the people who had been killed or injured. Without missing a beat, he said into the phone, ``Mr. Davis, I knew them all. I knew them all.'' He went on to say, ``We are a small town. We go to church together. We play ball together. We meet at each other's homes for holidays. We celebrate events together. We all know each other.''

That is the other unique thing about this event, Mr. Speaker, that this event ripped such a hole in the soul of a community of people who were knit close together. That is the special tragedy.

My final observation, I want to thank again Bobby Bright from the Second District. When I called him the morning after this event, his first instinct was to think like the very good mayor that he was until he came here. He said, ``I am getting on a plane. I am going back home because I want to know if they need anything. I want to know if they need help.''

That is how executives think, that is how this mayor thought, and the people of the Second District are very privileged and fortunate to have that kind of individual, whose first instinct was ``what can I do?'', not just to lend support, but to be of assistance.

So I extend my condolences to these individuals and to their families. May God bless the souls of the lost, and may He mend the bodies of those who are left and wounded.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the passage of this resolution recognizing the tragedy that befell the communities of Geneva and Coffee Counties, Alabama.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution seeks to take a moment to reflect on the impact one man's senseless acts of violence can have on a community, a State, and a Nation.

On the afternoon of March 10, 2009, the worst killing rampage in Alabama's history began as a disturbed

man started his shooting spree in Samson, Alabama. He indiscriminately fired at passersby and finally took his own life 12 miles away at a manufacturing plant in Geneva, Alabama, where he was once employed.

Once the terror ended, the gunman had left a trail of death and destruction across two counties. Tragically, the lives of Bruce Maloy, Lisa McLendon, Andrea Myers, Corrine Gracy Myers, Sonya Smith, James Starling, James White, Virginia White, Dean Wise and Tracy Wise were taken. Along with the devastating news of the 10 deaths, many others were injured, including four State troopers: Mike Gillis, Greg McCullough, Ella Meyers and Jeffrey Nelson.

It is appropriate that we take this opportunity to express our support and sympathy for the families and friends of the murder victims of this horrible act. In addition, we must take a moment to thank the first responders on that day, the Dothan Troopers Post, the Geneva Police Department, the Geneva County Sheriff's Department, the Conservation Natural Resources Department and the medical professionals that all played a role in quelling what could have been an even larger massacre.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman has no further speakers, I will yield back the balance of my time.