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Honoring the Life of Officer Mike Brunson

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Honoring the Life of Officer Mike Brunson

Congresswoman Barbara Comstock
Congressional Record, 114th Congress
Extensions of Remarks
19 September 2016

HON. BARBARA COMSTOCK of Virginia in the House of Representatives
Monday, September 19, 2016

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my constituent, Officer Michael ``Mike'' Todd Brunson, a master police officer in the Winchester Police Department. Officer Brunson passed away on September 11th, 2016 at the age of 48. He will be sorely missed by his family, his fellow officers, and his entire community.

Mike Brunson was sworn into the Winchester Police Department on February 10, 1995 and was promoted to the position of Master Police Officer in September of 2006. Officer Brunson was a respected and well known member of our community. In addition to protecting his neighbors, Mike helped found his department's community policing unit, and even served as a counselor at the Kids and Cops Camp. Officer Brunson was a member of the SWAT Team, a firearms instructor and field training officer. He also received a Meritorious Action Award and a Valor Award in 2014 for risking his life to enter a burning home in search for a 2 year old boy.

Winchester Police Chief Kevin Sanzenbacher in his statement said that Mike ``was a great person, a great father, grandfather, husband, son and friend. He will be truly missed.'' Lt. J. Cornwell of the Frederick County Sheriffs Office had Officer Brunson as his first field training officer and said ``he was a very courteous and nice man who was always willing to pass on information that he had'' and that it was a ``shame to lose him, especially at that young age.'' Officer Mike Brunson is survived by his mother, Carol D. Rockwell, his wife, Kimberly Brunson; his daughter Elizabeth Thurman and her husband Jesse, his daughter Katherine Brunson; a step-daughter, Eve Neal, and step-son, Stephen Neal-Crowe; as well as his two grandchildren Ryleigh Grace and Oliver James Thurman.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating the life of Officer Michael ``Mike'' Todd Brunson. May he rest in peace, and his family be comforted.