Washington, D.C. – Thirteen Gold Star families of the servicemembers killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan were posthumously presented with the Congressional Gold Medal this morning in the United States Capitol Rotunda. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and sponsors of the legislation, Senator Steve Daines and Rep. Lisa McClain, presented the medals to the families of the fallen this morning in a solemn ceremony.

The fallen servicemembers, including eleven Marines, a Navy Corpsman, and an Army Soldier, were killed in a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 26th, 2021. The attack also killed around 170 Afghan civilians.

“Three years ago, thirteen of our nation’s bravest men and women made the ultimate sacrifice while evacuating civilians from Kabul,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “While we can never bring them back, we can and must honor them for their sacrifice. With Honor Action extends our deepest gratitude to the fallen and their families, and applauds these servicemembers being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal today.”

The Afghanistan withdrawal will forever be remembered as one of the darkest times in our nation’s history. As our longest war came to a close, thirteen heroes were killed in a senseless act of violence as they worked to evacuate civilians from the area. We can never repay them for their sacrifice, and we can never bring them back, but honoring these servicemembers posthumously with the Congressional Gold Medal today helps make sure they will never be forgotten. 

Rest in Peace

• Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo
• Sgt. Nicole L. Gee
• Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover
• Cpl. Hunter Lopez
• Cpl. Daegan W. Page
• Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez
• Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza
• Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz
• Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum
• Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola
• Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui
• Petty Officer 3rd Class Maxton W. Soviak
• Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss

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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at withhonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

SUBJECT: Expressing Support for the Inclusion of Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies in the National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 

It has been over two years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Some might believe this marked the end of America’s involvement in Afghanistan, but for U.S. veterans this is not the case. Since the withdrawal, thousands of veterans along with non-veterans from across civil society have devoted countless hours and significant portions of their savings to support our wartime Afghan allies. The moral obligation our veterans feel to the Afghans who fought beside them did not end with the withdrawal, these veterans continue to stand with the 80,000 Afghans languishing in legal limbo in the United States as well as the over 140,000 applicants to the Special Immigrant Visa program, hiding for their lives in Taliban controlled Afghanistan. 

America’s veterans and civil society are steadfast in our support of Afghan allies and now it is time for Congress to act. Legislation providing adjustment of status for Afghans in the U.S. and support to the nearly 140,000 Afghan allies still abroad is vital, and we cannot continue to miss opportunities to include critical provisions in the few legislative vehicles available. As Congress considers the defense supplemental, The American Legion, The Moral Compass Federation, No One Left Behind, The Veterans of Foreign Wars, and With Honor Action strongly support the swift passage of legislation that will adjust the status of our Afghan allies and assist those still in Afghanistan and third countries. We urge the House of Representatives to include and pass Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies in the House version of the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024. 

Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies was a comprehensive and bipartisan section of the Senate’s version of the National Security Supplemental, it took key provisions from the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act and Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2023. Disappointingly, the section was stripped out for political expediency. This was a missed opportunity by the Senate, but thankfully the House has the chance to rectify. The provisions in Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies are incredibly popular across the political spectrum –national polling shows nearly 90% support amongst Americans for the policies this legislation would implement. Furthermore, this legislation is a national security imperative – standing with our Afghan allies will demonstrate American resolve, building confidence among America’s allies and deterring adversaries. 

Congress has failed over the last two years to pass necessary legislation. Partisan politicking has made passing bipartisan legislation increasingly difficult, but our allies and veterans dealing with moral injury can no longer be casualties of this inaction. Therefore, we strongly support the inclusion of Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies in the National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act. 

Sincerely,

With Honor Action applauds the passage of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) bill, which includes key provisions of the Afghan Allies Protection Act, bipartisan legislation led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senator Roger Wicker. The legislation has now passed through both chambers of Congress and been signed into law by the President.

The bill will strengthen the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program by authorizing an additional 12,000 visas and extending the program through 2025. This is the largest increase in Afghan SIVs to date, and the much-needed extension will allow the State department more time to help resettle our Afghan allies.

“Thank you to the leadership in the Senate for coming together over the weekend and passing this critical bill. This legislation will give thousands of our wartime Afghan allies the chance to build a new life in the United States,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “But the work isn’t done yet. Many of our allies are still on the run from the Taliban in Afghanistan, and With Honor Action will continue to advocate for their safety and well-being. We thank lawmakers in both chambers of Congress for joining together in a bipartisan manner to finally pass this crucial legislation.”

Supporting our Afghan allies has long been a top priority for With Honor Action. They fought with us through our nation’s longest war, and we promised them a new home in the United States. It’s past time we made good on that promise, and With Honor Action looks forward to continuing our work with Congress to support our Afghan allies.

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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at withhonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

Washington, DC – With Honor Action applauds the passage of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) bill in the U.S. House, which includes key provisions of the Afghan Allies Protection Act, bipartisan legislation led by For Country Caucus co-chair Representative Jason Crow and member Representative Brad Wenstrup.

The bill would strengthen the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program by authorizing an additional 12,000 visas and extending the program through 2025. This would be the largest increase in Afghan SIVs to date, and the much-needed extension would allow the State Department more time to get this important work done.

“Thank you to the House for their leadership and passage of this important legislation. There are thousands of Afghans being hunted by the Taliban as we speak and our allies cannot wait any longer,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “We need to get these people to safety, and passing this bill will give the State Department the ability to do so.”

Supporting our Afghan allies has long been a top priority for With Honor Action. They fought with us through our nation’s longest war, and we promised them a new home in the United States. It’s past time we made good on that promise.