HARRISBURG – On Oct. 1, Sen. Cris Dush (R-25), and several other Republican lawmakers hosted a state Capitol press conference recognizing Dr. James Sweetland, for his heroic actions during an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.
“Nearly every time I have the honor of presenting a Senate citation for heroism, I begin by sharing my favorite quote from John Wayne: ‘Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway,’” said Dush. “Dr. Jim Sweetland possesses all the qualities and attributes of the best kind of hero, a hero with a humble servant’s heart willing to apply his God-given skills as a physician to live out John 15:13 which says: ‘Greater love has no one than a person willing to lay down his life for his friends.’”
Reps. Mike Armanini (R-Clearfield/Elk) and Stephanie Borowicz (R-Clinton/Union) joined Dush at the press conference and offered the following sentiments on Sweetland’s heroism.
“In a crisis situation, the first inclination for many people is to run away from the scene. That afternoon at the Butler Farm Show Grounds in western Pennsylvania, Dr. Sweetland chose to run toward it,” Armanini said. “He’s not an emergency responder in the conventional sense but felt called to be one that day and should be applauded for answering that call.”
“We tell our children to look for the heroes, and Dr. Sweetland was a hero in the midst of pure evil,” Borowicz said. “It is my absolute honor to recognize his actions today, and I offer my sincere gratitude to him for his courageous actions during the cowardly attacks on July 13.”
On July 13, 2024, Sweetland, a retired emergency room physician from Treasure Lake, PA, was attending a presidential campaign rally at the Butler County Fairgrounds when shots were fired into the crowd. After hearing a woman cry for help, Sweetland leaped into action, running to an injured man, and performing CPR and chest compressions until being relieved by two Pennsylvania State Police troopers.
The injured man turned out to be Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter from Sarver, PA, who tragically suffered a fatal head wound while shielding his family from the assassin’s bullets.
Press conference video: https://vimeo.com/pasenategop/100124dushpresser?share=copy
CONTACT:
Ty McCauslin
Communications Director, Senator Dush
Phone: 717 787-7084