Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ravi Patel, a valued member of our effort to evacuate Afghan nationals from Kabul to Tirana, Albania.

Mr. Patel has worked in several areas for several key players in the international arena, working as an advisor to former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry as well as serving as the consulting advisor for the executive director of the UN's Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. As a graduate student, he was the executive director of the Stanford University U.S.-Russia Forum, where he put on conferences, in Moscow and on Stanford's campus, in order to bring together students and young leaders from both countries and further the bilateral relationship.

Mr. Patel has always believed in the power of thinking outside the box to find solutions. The buses that he sourced were ultimately used to carry more than 100 individuals to safety in their hour of greatest need. As they made it through winding Kabul streets until they made it inside the gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Mr. Patel was in close coordination with our team. He was Lt.Gen. McMaster's point person on our joint effort to evacuate them on a flight out of Kabul as well, helping to compile the flight manifest that airlifted men, women, and children--some as young as 2 years old--away from danger.

In fact, when one of our evacuees, a four-year old with a severe congenital heart defect, needed urgent medical attention, Mr. Patel sprang into action. He gathered letters of support from some of the top pediatric doctors and surgeons in order to bring her to the U.S. for treatment. Thanks to his relentless pursuit chasing down leads through every available channel, the little girl and her family were granted humanitarian parole and admitted to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Mr. Ravi Patel for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For his resourcefulness amidst the fog of uncertainty and the chaos of the evacuation as well as for his tireless work in the weeks since, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a former soldier and diplomat, and now author and scholar, Mr. David Kilcullen.

For both his homeland, Australia, and for the United States, Mr. Kilcullen has enjoyed a long career in national security and counter- insurgency. After commissioning as a lieutenant with the Australian Army, he would go on to serve in a number of operational, strategic, command, and staff positions both in the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and Australian Defence Force. In 2005, after leaving active duty, he began working with our State Department in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism.

Working in the field led Mr. Kilcullen to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Horn of Africa and Southeast Asia, and he would ultimately assist with the drafting of Army's Field Manual on counter-insurgency. He advised senior officials, from General David Petraeus to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to NATO headquarters, on addressing the threat posed by insurgencies and guerilla warfare. He's both a brilliant thought-leader as well as a man of action who supports aid agencies, non-government organizations, and local communities in conflict and disaster-affected regions around the world.

Simply put, Madam Speaker, Mr. Kilcullen's expertise is second to none, and when I needed a trusted partner for a mission as complex as the evacuation of Afghan allies from Kabul, he was exactly the right person at the right time to pull it off. He personifies the Aussie notion of ``mateship,'' that unbreakable bond of friendship, loyalty, and shared purpose.

Without Dave's help, I'm not sure we would have been able to wrangle the caravan of buses and make sure they made it safely through the wire. When we were in the thick of it, we relied on his expertise and his determination, and only because of both were we able to prevent our Afghan allies--and the lives of so many others--from being lost.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Mr. Dave Kilcullen for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For his unique ability to think outside the box to obtain safe passage for vulnerable Afghans and for his calm demeanor and resourcefulness in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an essential member of our team who helped us identify--and eventually evacuate--vulnerable Afghans after the fall of Kabul, Ms. Jessica Garrels of Michigan State University.

For nearly a decade, Ms. Garrels has worked in project management, including direct oversight and implementation of humanitarian assistance programs. Through her work, she's helped vulnerable communities around the world--growing their institutional and human capacity, building resilience, and expanding school nutrition and education initiatives. Community organizing is ingrained in Ms. Garrels' DNA--she's also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, a director with the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, and senior manager with Catholic Relief Services in places like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Laos.

It's this knack for finding solutions that led her to play such a key role in our mission to evacuate Afghans affiliated with Michigan State University when Kabul fell to the Taliban. In early August, she was part of the team that submitted initial visa applications for staff and scholars associated with the university's Grain Research and Innovation (GRAIN) program. However, when the evacuation window shrunk from a few months to a matter of days, she sprang into action. With desperate pleas for help flooding her inbox, she turned them into an outreach campaign to contact Members of Congress and anyone else who could help.

Thankfully, Ms. Garrels was able to join our ragtag effort--whereupon she immediately set out to gather critical information from GRAIN scientists and their immediate families. When our group of evacuees made it onto a caravan of buses and began their perilous journey to safety, Ms. Garrels worked around the clock to handle bureaucratic obstacles as they came up. I have no doubt that thanks to her quick and efficient response, lives were saved that would have otherwise been lost.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Ms. Jessica Garrels for her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For her skill in handling logistical challenges as they came up and for fast-tracking the requests for funding that allowed vulnerable MSU- affiliated Afghans to make it on the flight, I submit these words--

may they stand as a tribute to her dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an essential member of my team who leveraged her military logistics experience to evacuate our Afghan allies to safety, Major Holly Gramkow.

Since 2009, Major Gramkow has been a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force. She's a graduate of the University of Portland Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and has over a decade of on- the-ground experience working on F-16, A-10 and C-130J airframes.

Throughout her military career, she has held positions as Fabrication Flight Commander, Aircraft Maintenance Unit Officer in Charge, and Director of Operations; as well as an Exchange Officer position with the Chilean Air Force as their Chief of Propulsion for F-16s. Major Gramkow has also served as an Aide-de-Camp and most recently as Branch Chief for Legacy Fighter Sustainment, Headquarters Air Force. She's also the Chief Financial Officer for the Logistics Officer Association, a non-profit that supports the professional development of her fellow officers.

However, it is during her time with our office as a Defense Fellow where we've seen her relentless commitment to others firsthand. Despite limited previous experience with the legislative branch, she has taken to the work like a natural--leading key initiatives on veterans issues, military supply chains, and the National Defense Authorization Act. Any one of these areas would take up the full bandwidth of a seasoned staffer, but she's been able to handle the competing priorities with skill and aplomb.

Our team was immensely fortunate to have Major Gramkow on staff when we were called to action and I am beyond thankful that we were able to rely on her skill to lead our effort in evacuating vulnerable Afghans. Despite being 2,000 miles away from Washington, D.C. and nearly 8,000 miles from Kabul at times during our mission, she made a difference at a time when for so many, things looked so grim. Our team owes an immense debt of gratitude to Major Gramkow--with the grit of Rosie the Riveter and the resourcefulness of her logistics officer training, she is truly a living embodiment of the core values of the Air Force: ``integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do.''

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Major Holly Gramkow for her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For her efforts to jump into the breach and serve around the clock as staff lead of our operation, and for marshaling the full weight of our office, actions which are in keeping with highest traditions of our military and our Nation, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to her dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor our man on the ground and a key member of the team during our operation to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul, Mr. Schalk Spies.

Service is ingrained in Mr. Schalk's DNA--he served as a captain in the South African National Defense Force, commanding several pathfinder and parachute Special Forces units on missions focused on border protection, surveillance and reconnaissance. Since leaving the military, he's worked as a security and operations manager with over a decade of experience in private sector risk management for international clients. With his top-notch professionalism and attention to detail, he's been relied upon time and time again to oversee all aspects of operations and logistics for U.S. government and non- governmental organization stakeholders.

When we needed someone to make sure our MSU-affiliated Afghan allies got to the

right place at the right time, we turned to Mr. Spies to keep them safe. His deep knowledge as a combat rescue medic and survival expert was key to our success--and no doubt reassured frightened men, women, and children as they traveled to the airport to escape the threats to their life. Despite a 25-hour harrowing journey as our buses made their way through Taliban checkpoints and stray gunfire, we didn't lose a single member of our group. Mr. Schalk's dedicated work as their security detail saved lives and for that I am immensely grateful.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Mr. Schalk Spies for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For his assistance in providing security on the ground for vulnerable individuals in Kabul as they attempted to make it through the airport gates and for his actions that kept them safe in their hour of greatest need, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a member of our team who was instrumental in the safe evacuation of Afghan allies and partners alike, Mr. Richard Mac Namee.

Service is ingrained in Mr. Mac Namee's DNA--as a British Army officer, his service included the Household Division's Scots Guards as well as being an operator and commander in the United Kingdom's Special Forces. He's been deployed to numerous locations around the world, including extended operational tours of duty in Germany, Northern Ireland, and the Middle East during the Operation Desert Storm.

From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Mac Namee was recalled to military service during the U.S. surge in Afghanistan. While the details of his actions as part of a Special Operations Task Force remain classified, they were conducted in extremely hostile environments and were considered pivotal to the success of the campaign being conducted by U.S. and NATO forces. For his command of operations in the interests of national, security, including being seconded to the U.K.'s Security Service (Ml5), he was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service.

After retiring from the military, Mr. Mac Namee was appointed as an associate professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. His expertise in counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, intelligence operations, covert operations, nuclear security and cybersecurity led him to teach graduate classes to aspiring national security professionals.

During our operation to evacuate vulnerable Afghans, Mr. Mac Namee's skills to coordinate the logistics of a caravan into the airport and to help run a second caravan of buses was instrumental to our success. When we were in the thick of it, we relied on his expertise and his determination, and only because of both were we able to prevent our Afghan allies--and the lives of so many others--from being lost.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Mr. Richard Mac Namee for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For his grit and determination to get the caravan of buses set up and going and for his relentless commitment to the mission until it was successfully completed, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Lieutenant Colonel Ben Jackman, Battalion Commander of the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

Originally from Princeton, N.J., Lt. Col. Jackman has an elite pedigree from our nation's premier military institutions. After graduating from West Point, he completed Ranger School and served multiple deployments, first in Korea and subsequently in Iraq. In between tours abroad, he attended the Command and General Staff College and the Advanced Military Studies Program at Fort Leavenworth, before deploying to Afghanistan. In the almost 20 years that Lt. Col. Jackman has worn the uniform, he has earned multiple awards and decorations, including the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman and Expert Infantryman Badges, the Bronze Star Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.

In short, Lt. Col. Jackman is an officer's officer. He sets the standard for the other battalion commanders and officers around him-- which is why, when the mission to safeguard the airport in Kabul demanded our nation's best, Lt. Col. Jackman stepped into the breach. He came face to face with a chaotic, dangerous situation on the ground, full of risk for both the Afghans crowding the gates and the troops responsible for guarding them. The mission demanded equal parts strategic knowledge of perimeter security as well as the human skills to determine who could get through.

The mission brought out the best of our nation's servicemen and women. It had them give up sleep and comfort to help load the sick, the elderly, and small children onto planes scheduled to depart. It required stamina and grit, and it involved sacrifice--11 Marines, an Army soldier and a Navy corpsman who gave their lives defending our allies.

Through it all, Lt. Col. Jackman is the reason that our group of more than 100 Afghans was able to safely make it inside the airport gates. His bravery and his command spared them from the danger they faced to life and limb.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Lt. Col. Ben Jackman for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For the profound difference that he has made in the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of individuals who are now safe, and for his actions that are in keeping with the highest traditions of our military and our nation, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an essential member of our team who helped us identify--and eventually evacuate--vulnerable Afghans after the fall of Kabul, Dr. Kurt Richter of Michigan State University.

If you read his biography on the university website, you'll learn that Dr. Richter is a nationally-recognized leader of international development implementation. For over 25 years, he's been a dedicated academic, and administrator, devoted to improving lives abroad. His work has taken him around the world to some of the most complex and challenging environments for international development, from Guatemala to Georgia, South Sudan to Tajikistan.

However, it's in his role as director of the Grain Research and Innovation (GRAIN) programs at MSU that he was connected to scientists in Afghanistan working to grow wheat in arid conditions. It's essential research, particularly in a country where shortages of wheat are the primary causes for hunger and economic instability. But when the Taliban began advancing, and finally took Kabul, their connection to an American university and USAID funding put them in grave danger.

This is when Dr. Richter sprang into action, first submitting visa applications for his staff and scholars. When the timeline for evacuation shrank from months to weeks to days, he worked around the clock to find them a seat on one of the planes leaving Hamid Karzai International Airport. Dr. Richter had firsthand experience with the chaos of an evacuation--he himself was airlifted out of South Sudan when a civil war broke out in 2013.

Thankfully, his tireless efforts paid off. The GRAIN program scholars and their families made it onto our convoy of buses and finally made it through the airport gates after multiple attempts and nearly 24 harrowing hours. Madam Speaker, words alone can't express my gratitude for everything that Dr. Richter did--and continues to do--for the individuals that he vouched for. Simply put, his advocacy saved lives and it deserves to be recognized by a grateful community and nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Mr. Kurt Richter for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For his efforts to identify vulnerable scientists, particularly female scholars, when they feared for their lives and for his character that faithfully upholds the values of Michigan State University, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an essential member of our team that worked to receive vulnerable Afghans when they arrived in Albania, Commander David Millner.

Commander Millner has served our nation honorably as a Navy officer for 19 years. In 2007, while attending the Naval Postgraduate School, he was recognized with the Admiral B.R. Inman Award for outstanding contribution to the field of maritime intelligence. He currently serves as the Senior Defense Officer and Attache at our Embassy in Tirana, where he's responsible for liaising between our armed forces and his Albanian counterparts, which was instrumental as we coordinated the arrival of our group of Afghan refugees.

Simply put, the success of our mission depended on tireless commitment and devotion to the cause. Commander Millner spent long hours alongside Ambassador Kim to ensure that everything would proceed smoothly. He was there, on the tarmac, to help receive our group of evacuees when they first landed on Albanian soil. For his hard work and commitment during our mission, I am forever indebted to him.

As a career naval officer, Commander Millner would tell you that it's essential that

when we ask our allies to fight for us, it comes with the understanding that we will be there for them when they need it too. It's why he would tell you that his work to receive and shelter Afghans is simply our way of upholding the American handshake. We stand krah per krah, or side to side, with them, no matter the mission or the challenge.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Commander David Millner for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For representing the best of our nation as he worked and for working around the clock to expedite requests and assist those who were in danger of losing life and limb,--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an essential member of our team that worked to receive vulnerable Afghans as they arrived in Albania, Mr. Keith West.

Service is ingrained in Mr. West's DNA--after college, he joined the Peace Corps, first as a volunteer in Cabo Verde teaching literature and English as a second language, and then as a recruiter tasked with inspiring the next generation to follow in his footsteps. Since commissioning as a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State, he's served in our embassies in Uruguay and Nepal while also working on food security for refugees.

In his current role as the Human Rights Officer at our Embassy in Tirana, Mr. West was tapped to serve as the Afghan Relocation Lead, coordinating the arrival of our group of Afghan refugees. During that critical time, he was able to leverage the immense generosity and hospitality of the Albanian people in order to save Afghan scientists, journalists, activists, former government officials and their loved ones. No small feat--he successfully brought in multiple planes from multiple places all chartered by different non-government organizations.

As so many have noted, the approximately 2,200 Afghans who landed in Albania are more than evacuees--they are human lives who escape danger to life and limb. Thanks to the tireless work by Mr. West on behalf of these men, women, and children in need, they now have the possibility of looking to the future with hope. Along with the rest of the Tirana embassy team, Mr. West spent long hours alongside Ambassador Kim to ensure that everything would proceed smoothly. His attention to detail was second to none, and I am forever indebted to him for his effort.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Mr. Keith West for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For his around- the-clock effort to assist a vulnerable group of Afghans, sight unseen, and his relentless work ethic which left no stone unturned to accomplish the mission, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a member of our team who was instrumental in the safe evacuation of Afghan allies and partners alike, Mr. Nathan Ramia.

Mr. Ramia lives and breathes service. Some would say it's ingrained in his DNA as a graduate of the United States Military Academy. But beyond his Army bona fides, Mr. Ramia's character stands out in his willingness to go above and beyond for a group of vulnerable refugees, sight unseen. He leveraged his network, a word used often but rarely with so much importance, to bring together individuals from all over the world to achieve a common mission.

But where Nathan's leadership truly stands out is over the course of a harrowing 24 hours when our convoy of buses attempted to make it past the airport gates. On a group text chain with all the bus drivers, Mr. Ramia relayed information, calmed nerves, and succeeded in keeping our flock together when immense pressure was on them to turn back. After multiple attempts, several scares, and a few strokes of luck, our group of Afghans made it through--a testament to Mr. Ramia's poise throughout the ordeal.

There is a definition of courage that comes to mind when one thinks of Mr. Ramia--grace under pressure. Undoubtedly he owes some of his courage to serving our country faithfully in uniform. But there is another, quieter source of Mr. Ramia's courage. It comes from the knowledge that his work made a difference in the lives of others. It comes from seeing the fruits of his labor in the lives still with us instead of lost to a chaotic evacuation. I--and the entire team--owe Mr. Ramia an enormous debt of gratitude for his actions and his commitment to his fellow man.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Mr. Nathan Ramia for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For his resolve throughout the

10-day gauntlet and his calm determination in the midst of chaos that ensured the safety of individuals thousands of miles away, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an essential member of our team that worked to receive vulnerable Afghans when they arrived in Albania, Lt. Col. Erol Munir.

Born in Boston and commissioned at Fort Benning, Lt. Col. Munir has served our nation as an Army officer for the past 16 years. Service is ingrained in his DNA--both his grandfathers were in the military, which he credits with inspiring him to become a soldier.

Through the Army, Lt. Col. Munir has seen the world. In his current role as Office of Defense Cooperation chief at our Embassy in Tirana, he was an instrumental component in coordinating the arrival of our group of Afghan refugees.

Simply put, the success of our mission depended on tireless commitment and devotion to the cause. Lt. Col. Munir spent long hours alongside Ambassador Kim to ensure that everything would proceed smoothly. His meticulous attention to detail was second to none, and I am forever indebted to him for his effort.

Lt. Col. Munir will tell you that his work to receive and shelter Afghan allies is simply an extension of Albanian warmth and hospitality. As a career officer, he would also tell you that it's what he's learned throughout his time in uniform, no matter the mission or the challenge, it's his job to adapt and overcome. These two traits, humility for the work and a determination to carry it out, define Lt. Col. Munir in everything he does.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Lt. Col. Erol Munir's willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For his laser- like focus in responding to requests for assistance and for his efficient advocacy to facilitate the arrival of vulnerable Afghans to safe haven, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a member of our team who was instrumental in the safe evacuation of Afghan allies and partners alike, Ms. Daniela Cooper.

Service is ingrained in Ms. Cooper's DNA--she has honorably served our country as a Marine and as a Foreign Service Officer. True to her relentless grit and instinctive nature for problem-solving, she worked with a group of others to assist with the requests that were flooding in as Afghanistan started to fall. No one asked her to do this, no one tasked her to do this, but she was part of a team that knew that skills and resources needed to be combined to help vulnerable allies in their time of need.

When we added Ms. Cooper to our ragtag band of individuals working to get Afghans out, it was the first time that I felt optimistic that we could find some success in the midst of a chaotic evacuation. When we got our group of buses in a caravan through the airport gates, Daniela worked through an entire night and countless obstacles to ensure that our group was able to get on a flight.

Without her assistance planning the flight, our mission could not have worked out in the way that it did. Thanks to her efforts throughout a gauntlet of several days in late August, over 100 Afghans have a new lease on life and can now look towards the future with their families and feel hope. I will always believe we were fated to meet over breakfast two years ago so that we could do the work we did.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Ms. Daniela Cooper for her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For her work ethic, which earned the profound respect and admiration of our team, and for her refusal to give up until every last person in our group was on a flight to safety, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to her dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Colleen Denny, a partner in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies and a trusted resource for them as they look ahead to the vetting process.

Service is ingrained in Ms. Denny's DNA--she is a graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy, where she earned her degree and was commissioned as an ensign. During her 8 years in service, she served on three different ships, including as commanding officer of a fast response cutter. Her duties spanned from search and rescues, counter- narcotics operations, to humanitarian aid missions. In 2010, when Haiti's infrastructure was leveled by a massive 7.0 earthquake, Ms. Denny was one of the first boots on the ground at the Port-au-Prince harbor, providing essential medical care, helicopter evacuations, and disaster relief to the population.

Later, as a Peace Fellow with the Children's Peace Initiative in Kenya, she worked to settle differences between warring pastoralist communities. With a focus on shared activities and common purposes, Ms. Denny helped bring together children from the two sides as well as tribal leaders in order to shift how the groups saw each other from adversary to ally.

Now, as regional director for Europe at Spirit of America, Colleen was instrumental in helping our group of Afghans escape grave and immediate threats from the Taliban. Despite the tragedy of fleeing their homeland, Ms. Denny provided them the support they need to now look towards the future with hope. From securing housing to providing basic supplies and tools to stay in touch with loved ones, Ms. Denny has given the same time, care, and consideration to each request. Ms. Denny is an example of our country at its best, with an attention to detail second to none. I cannot express how grateful I am to have her skills and expertise on our side.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Ms. Colleen Denny for her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For being there, on the tarmac, to meet vulnerable men, women, and children when they landed in Tirana and for continuing to be there for them in the days and weeks afterward, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to her dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor one of our essential partners in supporting our Afghan allies as they await vetting and processing in Albania, Ms. Terrell Chandler.

Ms. Chandler is the Director of Field Operations for Spirit of America, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support our diplomats and our men and women in uniform abroad. Through 1,442 projects in 91 countries, Spirit of America delivers on the promise of a free and better life for countless individuals who live where Americans are deployed.

Before joining Spirit of America, Ms. Chandler spent over a decade as a Navy reservist supporting Marines, Green Berets, and other Navy units. In 2014, she served a combat tour in Afghanistan where she supported Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces as a member of a Cultural Support Team. While deployed, she developed a first-of-its-kind curriculum and training for a military exchange between U.S. and female partner forces in Southwest Asia, all while working to deliver humanitarian aid that supported the local population. This mission brought her in contact with Spirit of America and after exiting the service, she joined the ranks of other veterans who work at the non- profit.

In her role, she's been instrumental in sourcing donations for more than 100 Afghans who were evacuated to Albania. Their harrowing journey out of danger may be over, but they still need support while they are vetted to come to the United States--a process that could take years. Ms. Chandler knows how to bring resources and efficiency to a mission and we couldn't ask for a better partner as we coordinate the short, medium and long-term plan for our allies.

Ms. Chandler lives and breathes Mark Twain's words, ``broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things can't be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the earth all one's life.'' Wherever her service has taken her, she has taken the time to give back.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Ms. Terrell Chandler for her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For her commitment to providing for them while they await processing and resettlement, and for her resourcefulness and grit to solve any challenge, come what may, I submit these words so they stand as a tribute to her dedicated service when the moment called for it most.