WASHINGTON, DC—On Thursday, U.S. Representative John Rose (TN-06) spoke on the House Floor to recognize Van Buren County Sheriff Michael Brock, a true public servant who has dedicated his career to protecting his community.
The full remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:
Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a Tennessee hero who has dedicated his life to serving and protecting the members of his community: Van Buren County Sheriff Michael Brock. Sheriff Brock has shown outstanding loyalty and performed exemplary service to his community. He should be recognized for his selfless actions, which go beyond his duties as sheriff.
The people of Van Buren County, Tennessee know their sheriff to be hardworking, compassionate, and sincere. Sheriff Brock does everything he can to protect his community under any and all conditions. For example, when Sheriff Brock learned that two of his townspeople were in danger due to knee-deep snow and subzero temperatures plaguing East Tennessee last January, he immediately set out to protect and assist them in any way possible.
The first was a gentleman with a medical condition who had wandered towards the woods away from his mother’s home on the night of January 15th.
He was reported missing on the 16th, and Sheriff Brock immediately organized a search from the residence, tracking footsteps and working deep into the night, only calling off the search when it became too dangerous for the search team to continue their efforts.
Sheriff Brock demonstrated kindness and empathy as he personally updated the family through every effort, working closely with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and Park Officials. Devastatingly, the missing gentleman who was rescued from falling off a 700-ft drop in the forest later succumbed to his injuries. Even after the search, Sheriff Brock was the first to console the family, moving from protecting them physically to fortifying their hearts.
As the winter storm raged on, Sheriff Brock soon learned that a citizen on the outskirts of town needed critical medication. She had just undergone numerous back surgeries and spent over a month in the hospital.
Roads were icy, and her home nurse was stranded elsewhere from the storm. Sheriff Brock saw that she was taken care of, driving across multiple counties to retrieve the medication. The roads were so hazardous that the trip took four times as long as it normally would. Time was not a concern for Sheriff Brock, but her safety and health certainly were. Sherrif Brock’s actions and timely rescue meant she was saved from further medical complications and readmission to the hospital.
Madam Speaker, Sheriff Brock is a blessing and a credit to his department, community, and people. His actions and tireless protection of his community have left people with a sense of security, knowing that they have him and his department watching out for them. He expects no praise, credit, and notice of his tireless selflessness; however, today I rise to recognize him. His leadership and heroism serve as an example to us all.
You can watch the speech here.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://johnrose.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-rose-recognizes-leadership-and-selflessness-van-buren-county-sheriff