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Floor Speech

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Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam President, I rise today with my fellow Senator from Arkansas, Mr. Cotton, to honor Jeremiah James Story, a Perry County Detention Center officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty last month.

Born in Conway, AR, Jeremiah was a 2020 graduate of Bigelow High School. Even as a young person, he was a dedicated public servant who loved his community and his country. In addition to working as a detention officer, he also served in the Army National Guard and aspired to become a State trooper. He wore his uniforms with pride and was passionate about giving back to others in a variety of ways. There was no gesture too small or unimportant for him to offer.

Jeremiah was also a man of deep faith, who never let pass an opportunity to share it with others. He devoted his life to following his Lord and Savior and was a longtime member of Riverview Baptist Church, where he routinely encouraged people he met to attend services with him.

With his Christian belief as his hope and guide, he demonstrated kindness and compassion for others and relied on the power of prayer to support and uplift others facing difficult situations.

Jeremiah's friends and family knew he was special and strived to live by the example that he set.

During a military training exercise last year, fellow troops recalled how Jeremiah suffered from trench foot, and while he was ordered to stay off his feet, he couldn't resist the urge to serve others. So in spite of instructions and consequences to his own recovery, he jumped up and filled water bottles for his fellow troops. That was the kind of person he was--a giver.

Those who served alongside him recalled the tough situations they experienced together. While it was taxing to be away from family and living in challenging conditions, Jeremiah did it with a smile on his face.

He served his community with tremendous care and devotion. We are so grateful for his example and willingness to do the tough and dangerous job of ensuring public safety.

At the young age of 21, he was taken far too soon. While his life on Earth was short, he left a lasting legacy through the way he treated, cared for, and loved others.

Even the inmates he was responsible for guarding appreciated his care and empathy. Several of them attended a memorial service for him to show their gratitude and their respect.

He will be dearly missed by many, including his closest loved ones, but his memory will live on as a hero who made a positive impact on all those whose lives he touched.

His death is a tragic reminder of the risk law enforcement officers face each day that they put on their uniform and leave the comforts of their homes and their loved ones to serve and to protect.

Senator Cotton and I are honored to pay this tribute to him to bring attention to his short but meaningful life and remember the noble calling he was willing to risk his life to answer.

I pray for his family, friends, and colleagues, as they mourn the fallen guardian who served others to the very end. May he rest in peace, and may God bless him and keep him and all those that he leaves behind.

I yield to Senator Cotton.

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