Lest We Forget
A Poem for Trump's Inauguration
A leader lied; five policemen died.
Loved ones and comrades agonize and grieve.
Behold, truth and justice have been voted out,
And the liar climbs higher to dominate and deceive.
Let us take a moment today to honour five fallen officers whose names, families, legacies, and memories are brutally trampled into the mud by the inauguration of Donald Trump.
These are not stereotypical, faceless, dispensable cops like the ones we see being run off the road by rebel heroes in movies or video games. These are individual real human heroes with mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives…and one officer was the father of three young children.
These are human beings with close friends, shared dreams, goals, passions, stories… each one with a unique light to shine. Each light was attacked, smothered, and snuffed out by the evil of a lie.
On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump knowingly lied about the election being stolen and shouted to his worshippers, “We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” His “peacefully” comment was, of course, accurately interpreted as a sarcastic joke in the context of his fighting speech and was brushed off like a butterfly that didn’t belong.
The FBI estimates that between 2,000 and 2,500 people entered the Capitol Building. Inflamed with the Trump-given mission to stop the transfer of power from Trump to Biden, the rioters smashed windows, broke down doors, stormed and occupied the Senate floor… Some of Trump’s loyal followers put up a noose and chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!”
140 officers were assaulted. Many suffered head wounds, cracked ribs, and smashed spinal disks as a result of the violence. They were attacked with weapons (sledge hammers, bats, flag poles, table legs, 50-pound fire extinguishers, pepper spray…). They were berated and threatened with death.
You can see the 12-minute video presented by the January 6 Committee here.
Brian Sicknick
United States Capitol Police Officer, BRIAN SICKNICK, was assaulted with chemical spray. He tried to shake it off and kept bravely defending the Capitol and the people within.
He collapsed eight hours later and died the next day following two strokes which medical examiners attributed to the trauma he suffered during the riot.
Brian was a proud American and loved his country. After his time in the military, he continued his service by becoming a US Capitol Police Officer, serving the American people and members of Congress – and protecting democracy.
His beloved Sandra said, “Brian was such a wonderful person…the grieving process never ends, it just changes… depression… several months off work… going public, having people say terrible things about me online…”
Regarding Trump, she said, “He needs to be held accountable for what happened to Brian. It’s despicable that he has gotten away with so much…”
Can we put ourselves in the boots of these officers? Imagine the excruciating shock of seeing fellow Americans acting like rabid animals desecrating the Capitol with the intent of overturning the will of the people. Imagine fighting for your life and the lives of members of Congress – not against foreign invaders, but against your own countrymen, duped by a former president of the country you’re serving.
After such utter betrayal and brutality, how could one live with the horrors of those memories and injuries (both one’s own and one’s comrades’)? How could one bear the thought of returning to work?
Tragically, four of Brian Sicknick’s fellow officers succumbed to the overwhelming trauma and committed suicide after defending the Capitol from Trump’s enraged mob.
HOWARD CHARLES LIEBENGOOD
1. HOWARD CHARLES LIEBENGOOD, age 51, died by suicide three days after the insurrection.
From a career as a professional race car driver to his service as a United States Capitol Police (USCP) officer, Howard “Howie” Liebengood (LA’91) is described as a quiet, effective leader who exhibited outstanding personal character and strong moral fiber in all situations. He protected the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021, attack, and died by suicide after several days of sleep deprivation and nonstop work protecting an institution that meant so much to him.
During his racing career, Liebengood mentored youth through his work with the National Campaign to Stop Violence and founded the philanthropic organization Racing to Live by the Rules. Through his philanthropy, Liebengood spoke to elementary school children about the importance of education, setting goals, following rules, and how—just like in racing—the choices we make can affect our entire lives. “We are all racing through life together,” is something he often told the children.
His father, Howard S. Liebengood, worked with the late Tennessee U.S. Sen. Howard Baker, a conservative Republican, and was later appointed Sergeant-at-Arms for the U.S. Senate. Inspired by his father’s legacy, Howard Charles Liebengood devoted himself to protecting an institution he’d revered since childhood, only to watch its politics turn increasingly poisonous. Donald Trump’s election in 2016 intensified the protests that Howie had to respond to.
Dr. Serena Liebengood, Howard’s widow, and his sister, Anne, and brother, John, say Howie’s death was a direct result of the workplace stress he experienced on Jan. 6 and its aftermath.
In November 2022, the Department of Justice determined that Howie Liebengood’s death was in the line of duty.
JEFFREY SMITH
2. JEFFREY SMITH (Metro Police Department) was punched in the face and hit in the head with a metal pole, resulting in brain injury.
David Walls-Kaufman, a chiropractor and rioter, grabbed Jeffrey Smith’s baton and used it against him. People were shouting, “You all stand with criminals!” “They don’t give a f*. They’re not here to protect the people. They’re here to protect a bunch of f*ing child murderers…”
Jeffrey Smith shot himself in the head on the George Washington Memorial Parkway on January 15, 2021, the day he was supposed to return to duty.
Jeffrey’s widow, Erin, said that being a police officer was her husband’s calling. Before the attack, Jeff was a “jokester” who loved being around people almost as much as he loved his dog. He had no history of depression or mental health issues.
After Jan. 6, “He was never the same. He didn’t want to talk. He was pacing at night and during the day…. The jokes stopped, his dancing around the house stopped, and he even refused to walk the dog. One night, she woke up to find him crying in bed, unsure what was going on…
He was 35 years old when he took his own life, after fighting so hard to save others.
Smith of the MPD and Liebengood of the Capitol Police, had been with their departments for more than a decade.
KYLE DeFREYTAG
3. KYLE DeFREYTAG, age 26, died by suicide on July 10.
Here are excerpts from Kyle’s obituary:
“Born October 19, 1994 in Canadensis, Pennsylvania the son of Frederik and Laura (Kennedy) DeFreytag.
“Kyle was a Washington DC Police officer for 5 years. He liked hiking, camping, riding his motorcycle, he liked traveling and playing the drums, he enjoyed trying different ethnic foods and always knew the best places to eat. Kyle was kind; he had a quick wit and a great sense of humor and kept us laughing for 26 years.
“In addition to his parents, he is survived by his brother, Sam deFreytag, and sister, Melanie, and her husband, Dale Hockenberry.”
26 years old… A beloved officer, son, brother, friend…is dead at 26… because of Trump’s lies. Does Trump know about him? Does he care? Has he apologized to the family?
GUNTHER HASHIDA
4. 43-year-old officer GUNTHER HASHIDA was found dead inside his home on July 29.
Hashida began his long career with the Metropolitan Police Department in 2003. This is where he met many of his lifelong friends who he considered family. He was a dedicated police officer who worked hard to serve and protect the community. In December 2020, he graduated from the department’s tactical unit, called the Emergency Response Team (ERT) within the Special Operations Division.
In his 18 years with the department, Gunther earned various awards such as the MEDAL OF VALOR, Achievement Medal, Lifesaving Medal, Top Cops Honorable Mention, Officer of the Year (1D), and the Cops Award.
Outside of the department, Gunther was a family man. Shortly after graduating from the Police Academy, he married the love of his life, Romelia in 2004. His wife, children, family, and friends were his world. He loved being with his children, Victoria, Gunther Jr., and Josh, taking them to baseball practice and cheering them on any chance he got. He was a present dad, a loving husband, and a great friend.
Romelia is now a widow,
and Victoria,
Gunther Jr.,
and Josh
are fatherless…
because of Trump’s lies.
Does Trump know about these children whose father is dead because of his insatiable lust for power?
Has Trump shown any remorse for their unbearable loss?
During the presidential debate, Trump was given the opportunity to take responsibility for his actions. David Muir said,
“Mr. President, on January 6th you told your supporters to march to the Capitol.
You said you would be right there with them. The country and the world saw what played out at the Capitol that day. The officers coming under attack.
Aides in the West Wing say you watched it unfold on television off the Oval Office…It was more than two hours before you sent out that video message telling your supporters to go home.
Is there anything you regret about what you did on that day?”
Trump’s response was “I had nothing to do with that other than they asked me to make a speech. I showed up for a speech… it wasn’t done by me. It was done by others…nobody on the other side was killed.” And he continued to claim the election was stolen.
Those Who Survived
Michael Fanone
In August of 2021, four Capitol Police Officers gave emotional testimonies during a House Committee hearing on the Jan. 6 riots.
Explaining how he was “assaulted and nearly killed” on Jan. 6, Officer Michael Fanone said he feared he would be “torn apart or shot to death” while he was being attacked by a “violent and angry mob.”
Fanone explained how he was beaten and “electrocuted again and again and again” with a taser, while he could hear rioters yelling, “Get his gun and kill him with his own gun.”
“My children continue to deal with the trauma of nearly losing their dad that day,” Fanone said.
“What makes the struggle harder…is to know so many of the people I put my life at risk to defend are downplaying or outright denying what happened. I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room.”
Growing more emotional, Fanone raised his voice as he lambasted those who have tried to downplay the events of Jan. 6 in the months since the riots, saying: “The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful.”
Aquilino Gonell
Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, also vented frustration at the hearing at some members of Congress who have downplayed the danger from the riot.
“The same people we helped, the same people we gave the borrowed time to get to safety, are attacking us; they are attacking our characters,” Gonell said.
On January 6, 2021, after Trump’s speech, the rioters attempted to push past Gonell and other officers who were holding a line. Fighting then broke out. Gonell fought with at least 40 people for six hours. At some point, he was pulled under the crowd of people. He said he lost enough oxygen to where he thought he was going to die. He eventually moved to a tunnel inside the Capitol, trying to prevent the mob from going upstairs. During the fighting, he was punched, bitten, and hit with a flagpole, a bat, and his own baton.
Gonell underwent two major surgeries because of the injuries during the attack. They included having a metal plate installed on his foot. He also underwent physical and mental therapy to deal with trauma. Six months after the attack, he publicly testified about his experiences in the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.
In summer 2022, Gonell testified in the trial of a man who assaulted him on January 6, Kyle Fitzsimons. Fitzsimons was eventually convicted on 11 charges and 7 felonies. He was sentenced to 87 months in prison.
On December 12, 2022, Gonell retired from the Capitol Police, because his injuries made him no longer able to pass the physical tests proving he was fit for the force. (Source: Wikipedia).
Daniel Hodges
Daniel Hodges, who remains with MPD, suffered a concussion in the attack. In a video clip that has become emblematic of the violence of that day, a bloodied Hodges is seen wedged between a doorframe and a police shield that had been stolen by the mob. He screams for help as he and other outnumbered officers try to protect the people in the Capitol.
Hodges is part of a small group of Capitol Police and MPD officers who have publicly shared their stories in the years since the attack. He testified before the select committee to investigate the attack.
To Hodges, like others who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, Trump’s reelection feels like a betrayal. He’s watched with frustration in the last several years as Trump and his allies have distorted the events of the attack.
“But the truth still matters,” he continued. “I feel an ethical obligation to make sure that people understand what actually took place.”
WHITEWASHING, HARASSMENT, AND DENIAL OF JUSTICE
To support Trump’s 2024 campaign, Republican Mike Johnson released videotapes of January 6 with footage edited to downplay the attack’s violence. This included photographs of Gonell standing upright that evening, attempting to prove that Gonell had not experienced serious violence.
On June 6, 2024, when Gonell visited the Pennsylvania State Capitol with fellow Capitol officer Harry Dunn, some Republican legislators in the building booed the officers or walked out.
Harry Dunn
You can see a recent interview with Harry Dunn here.
Police officers were brutally beaten. A lot of them weren’t able to return to their jobs.
140 officers reported their injuries. There are so many others that didn’t report, and just showed up the next day, that live with mental injuries…your own people at the U.S. Capitol…You’d think that the attack is going to come from the outside, not the inside of the American people, who were brutally beating the police officers who were protecting the seat of democracy. Our job…was to protect the members that the people sent, regardless of who they are…
Everybody should be appaulled by anybody who’s okay with those individuals being pardoned. What does that say about how you feel about their actions?
Betrayed by my Country
Because Trump was re-elected, he not only evaded prosecution for himself for inciting the riot, he also pardoned every rioter, including those who had violently assaulted police officers.
Trump commuted the sentences of individuals associated with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, who were convicted of seditious conspiracy. He then issued “a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Michael Fanone spoke out after President Donald Trump pardoned the men who beat him. He said that when Daniel Rodriguez was repeatedly shocking him with a stun gun, he was yelling, “Trump won!”. Fanone lost consciousness and suffered a heart attack.
“I have been betrayed by my country, by those who supported Donald Trump…Tonight, six individuals who assaulted me…will now walk free. Six individuals who have threatened my life and who have made threats toward my family members, as well as countless others who have threatened me since I testified. My mother has had human feces thrown on her while she was raking leaves in her front yard. This is what we’ve become as a nation, and it has been further exacerbated by Donald Trump.”
If we consider Trump’s inauguration something to be celebrated, we are showing the same disgusting indifference to these police officers and the democracy they loved and sacrificed their well-being to protect.
Indeed, the majority of Americans have deemed their sacrifice in vain by voting against truth and justice – by voting against the vital importance of accountability to the law for leaders.
Lest We Forget - Every January 6
- Lest we forget these men, their dedication to protecting others, their tragic and unnecessary trauma and deaths,
- Lest we forget Trump’s lies and the unfathomable suffering he has caused in his unchecked lust for power,
- Lest we forget that truth and integrity make a nation great…
Each January,
- Let us celebrate and honour these men, these martyrs and their comrades who were attacked because they believed democracy is worth defending.
- Let us remember their loved ones in our prayers that the torment from January 6 will be a burden shared by all and not theirs alone to carry.
- Let us continue to work toward justice and accountability of leaders to the truth and to the law.
- Let us show compassion toward peace officers and first responders, and toward victims and all who are oppressed.
Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32), although, I’ve heard it said that it will piss you off first.
Christians Condoning the Deaths of Innocent Police Officers
You know what is sadly ironic? Those who identify as Christians made up 72% of the electorate and gave Trump 56% of their vote. I’m assuming this is largely because they wanted to save unborn babies, and Trump was true to his word to have Roe vs. Wade overturned.
The truth is, this was a totally ineffective faustian deal. According to Forbes, the number of abortions carried out in the U.S. each month is “similar if not higher” than the abortion rate before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
What is proven to reduce abortions is to address the root causes: better birth control, and financial assistance (like the expanded Child Tax Credit the Republicans squashed). Canada has a lower abortion rate than the U.S. because we have better supports in place.
In reality, these Trump-supporting Christians are not saving the lives of unborn babies; they are condoning the deaths of innocent men.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a follower of Jesus myself. This is why I feel compelled to write this. Please, neighbours! Make America True Again! Here is my blog regarding the importance of truth and fact-checking, especially for Christians: M.A.T.A. – Make America True Again
