In testimony before the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Aquilino Gonell said, “As a child in the Dominican Republic, I looked up to the United States as a land of opportunity and a place to better myself. From that moment I landed at JFK in 1992, I have tried to pursue that goal.” The first in his family to graduate from college, he joined the U.S. Army after graduating and eventually became a police officer.
Gonell was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal as one of the group of law enforcement officers who responded to the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He sustained multiple injuries during the events of that day, which he described in harrowing detail to the House panel. Running out of oxygen at one point, Gonell feared for his life. The attack, he said, was “like something from a medieval battle” — scarier than anything he had experienced in the 545 days he served in Iraq.
“As an immigrant to the United States, I am especially proud to have defended the U.S. Constitution and our democracy on January 6,” he said. “I hope that everyone in a position of authority in our country has the courage and conviction to do their part by investigating what happened on that terrible day and why.”
