Shot Congresswoman’s Bermuda Link
A Bermuda-born career soldier specially requested Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords — shot this afternoon [Jan.8] at a Tucson meeting – adminster his reenlistment oath into the US Army at a September ceremony.
Sergeant First Class Leonard Crichton — who had previously met the Congresswoman – told Ms Giffords he was inspired to join the US military as a child after watching an aerobatic demonstration by the US Navy’s Blue Angels at the US Naval Air Station in Bermuda.
Congresswoman Giffords was shot in the head while meeting constituents. A 40-year-old Democrat in her third term in Congress, she was shot point blank by a gunman who fired into the crowd.
There are conflicting reports on whether the Congresswoman was killed or not, however many news sources confirm that others were killed in the mass shooting.
About a dozen others at the meeting were shot, and the gunman was wrestled to the ground and taken into custody.
“Those of you who wear the uniform are truly a symbol of the strength of the United States,” Congresswoman Giffords told Sgt. Crichton at the September 28 ceremony in Washington, DC. “The future of the security of the United States is in your hands and the hands of your colleagues.”
Sgt. Crichton, 33, was born in Paget, Bermuda. He moved to the United States as a teenager and in 1994 joined the Army. A year later, he became an American citizen and has made his home in Congresswoman Giffords’ 8th Congressional District.
Sgt. Crichton said he decided to become an American soldier when, as a seven-year-old, he attended an air show at a US base in Bermuda. He said he joined the Army because “I like to play for the winning team.”
Sgt. Crichton served in Germany for five years followed by two years in Korea. He also had several assignments at Fort Huachuca in Southern Arizona before deciding to become a career Army soldier. He currently is stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland, and is finishing his associate’s degree in electronic engineering.
After earning his degree, Sgt. Crichton will be assigned to the Army Network Warfare Battalion where he will be a “cyberwarrior,” helping protect US data networks. At his re-enlistment ceremony, he committed to a 20-year Army career.
Sgt. Crichton said he had previously met the congresswoman and decided he wanted her to administer his re-enlistment oath at the US Capitol because he appreciates the symbolism of the Capitol Building as the central focus of the American system of government.
“When I saw the Capitol for the first time, it was remarkable and special to me,” Crichton said.
The tradition in the Army is to let the soldier choose the place where he or she will be re-enlisted and the person to administer the oath.
“I’m very flattered and honoured,” Sgt. Crichton told the Congresswoman after she administered the oath.
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Is this person the son of an ex police officer that was gunned down years ago. Just asking.