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Amata attends Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony

Congresswoman Amata and Congressman Pete Stauber
Source: Uifa’atali Amata’a Washington D.C. office press release

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata attended Tuesday’s ceremony at the United States Capitol Rotunda honoring the Capitol Police and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, who responded to the Capitol on January 6, 2021. They were awarded the U.S. Congress’s highest honor — the Congressional Gold Medal.

 “I appreciate the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department for their efforts to protect and respond to the safety of people and security of the Capitol grounds,” said Aumua Amata. “This gold medal is specific to January 6, 2021, and they also serve every day in readiness, and in recent years responded heroically to the shooting at Members of Congress at a baseball field not far from my second residence in Alexandria.

“Several members of these Police Departments over the years have given their lives in the line of duty, and their names are enshrined on the National Law Enforcement Memorial. Years ago, my father served as a Capitol Police Officer, and he witnessed the lasting changes that followed a tragic shooting then. These officers will always be affected by January 6th, as will the entire nation. It must be forever unthinkable to ever see again events such as these repeated in our history.”

The Capitol ceremony featured the National Anthem by the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” as well as their excellent renditions of “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.”

Presentation of the Colors and Retiring of the Colors was by the United States Capitol Police Ceremonial Unit and the Metropolitan Police Department Ceremonial Honor Guard.

The welcome was by the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, who also gave leadership remarks, as did Republican Leader of the House Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

Remarks were made by J. Thomas Manger, Chief of the USCP, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the MPD.

The invocation was given by Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben, Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the benediction by Dr. Barry C. Black, Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.

The Congress also thanked the U.S. Mint for designing and striking the beautiful gold medal.