U.S. Capitol Police officer and Iraq War veteran Brian Sicknick, killed in the Jan. 6 assault on Congress, will lie in honor in the Capitol rotunda and be buried in Arlington National Cemetery this week.
A ceremonial arrival will take place at 9:30 p.m. EST Tuesday on the East Front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. A viewing period will be held at 10 p.m. for members of the Capitol Police, continuing overnight. Members of Congress will attend the viewing from 7-9 a.m. Wednesday. A Congressional tribute to Sicknick will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the ceremony will be open to invited guests only. A ceremonial departure will take place at noon Wednesday, before Sicknick is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Sicknick, 42, was a former member of the New Jersey Air National Guard. He died Jan. 7 of injuries he sustained while responding to the insurrection at the Capitol.
“The family of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick thanks the Congressional leadership for bestowing this historic honor on our fallen American hero," his family said in a statement. "We also wish to express our appreciation to the millions of people who have offered their support and sympathies during this difficult time. Knowing our personal tragedy and loss is shared by our nation brings hope for healing.”
Related
New Jersey Gov. Pat Murphy said Sicknick was a "fine team member and leader" with the 108th Security Force Squadron, 108th Wing, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, where he was a staff sergeant. Sicknick's six years of military service included overseas deployments in support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sicknick was injured while engaging with the rioters who stormed the Capitol Jan. 6. When he returned to his division office, he collapsed, Capitol Police officials said. He was taken to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. His death is being investigated as a homicide by Capitol and Metropolitan police, along with federal agencies.
A native of South River, New Jersey, Sicknick graduated from the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools. He joined the USCP in July of 2008 and most recently served in its First Responder’s Unit.
“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,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said in a statement. “His sacrifice reminds us every day of our obligation to our country and to the people we serve.”
Only 36 people have been allowed to lie in state or lie in honor in the Capitol rotunda, an honor granted through Congressional authority. Those who have been granted honor of lying in state include presidents and other public officials, such as the late Sen. John McCain. But some others have been allowed to lie in honor, including two other Capitol Police officers killed when a gunman targeted Congress in 1998, Rosa Parks and Billy Graham.
—
Reach Abbie Bennett: abbie@connectingvets.com or @AbbieRBennett.
Sign up for the Connecting Vets weekly newsletter to get more stories like this delivered to your inbox.