Honoring the Life and Carrer of Jerry Hynes

HONORING THE LIFE AND CAREER OF JERRY HYNES-HON. MARCY KAPTUR (Extensions of Remarks - April 28, 2004)

HON. MARCY KAPTUR
OF OHIO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a truly remarkable man, the wonderful and kind Jerry Hynes. Soon to retire after 32 years protecting Capitol Hill, Jerry has graciously served our Capitol Hill Congressional Family.
Jerry Hynes was born in 1946 in Furth, Germany, to an American military family. During his childhood, he lived and traveled with his parents to several military bases from Alaska to Germany, finally settling in the Washington, DC area. He served the U.S. Army bravely in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968. He endured some of the fiercest fighting in the conflict, and when he was injured in battle, the U.S. Army awarded him the Purple Heart. In 14 months of military service, he attained the rank of Sergeant and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his heroism. Jerry spent the last 6 months of his service assigned to the Honor Guard at Fort Meade, MD.

After his tour of duty ended, he went to college under the Montgomery G.I. Bill studying law enforcement and eventually came to the U.S. Capitol Police in 1972. During his distinguished 32-year career with the Capitol Police, he served many U.S. Presidents and over 3,000 Members of Congress and their staffs. While for most of his career he was assigned to traffic control at the intersection of Washington and C Streets, he has served in many capacities on the Hill. He was selected to be a member of the U.S. Capitol Police Hostage Negotiations Team, studying at the FBI Academy and Prince George's County Police Departments. He was also instrumental in creating and serving on the Capitol Honor Guard. He was elected chairman of the Grievance Advisory Committee to the 1,170 member department, and facilitated the purchase of K-9 dogs from Germany. Jerry has also remained involved in his law enforcement community by being a member of the International Police Association, a friendship organization that promotes cultural exchanges between police officers in various nations.

A single parent to 3 children, Jerry was elected PTA President at 3 different schools for 6 consecutive years. In 1999, he married Dr. Alla Hynes. On September 11, while Jerry was at the Capitol protecting Members of Congress and their staffs, his wife, a physician at Washington Hospital Center, took care of the burning and wounded victims of the Pentagon attack while being 8 and ½ months pregnant. Two weeks after 911, Alla gave birth to a baby daughter, Stephanie.

I am pleased to pay the highest tribute to my friend, and highly respected officer, for his patriotism, accomplishments, and efforts on behalf of all people who work on Capitol Hill. He is retiring at the mandatory age of 57, and we wish him an enjoyable journey on his new path in life. He will be missed greatly by the thousands of Members of Congress, staff, issue advocates and military personnel that he has befriended over his 32-year career with the Capitol Police. Our country has been bettered immeasurably by his dedication and good cheer. Onward!