[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 28, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H7055-H7057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING AID WORKERS KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 1661) honoring the lives of the brave and
selfless humanitarian aid workers, doctors, and nurses who died in the
tragic attack of August 5, 2010, in northern Afghanistan.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1661
Whereas 10 unarmed civilians were brutally killed in
Badakhshan province, Afghanistan, on August 5, 2010;
Whereas those killed were humanitarian aid workers,
operating a mobile health clinic for people with little
access to medical care;
Whereas the humanitarian assistance team included a
surgeon, an optometrist, a dentist, a nurse, a photographer,
translators, a cook, and a guard;
Whereas among the murdered humanitarian aid workers were 6
United States citizens, including Cheryl Beckett, Brian
Carderelli, Thomas Grams, Glen Lapp, Tom Little, and Dan
Terry;
Whereas Cheryl Beckett, who grew up near Cincinnati, Ohio,
had spent 6 years in Afghanistan, helping mothers to provide
adequate nutrition for themselves and their children, and
organizing relief efforts for more than 200 Afghan families
struggling to survive the winter without heat or electricity;
Whereas Brian Carderelli, a recent graduate of James
Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, joined the
medical team as a photographer and videographer, documenting
the Afghan communities to which the team provided assistance
and the successes they together achieved;
Whereas Dr. Thomas Grams, a dentist from Durango, Colorado,
gave up his practice 4 years ago to devote his life to
providing free dental care to those in need, especially
children throughout Asia and Latin American, with a focus on
Nepal and Afghanistan;
Whereas Glen Lapp, a nurse from Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
came to Afghanistan in 2008 in order to serve as manager of a
much-needed provincial eye care program in Afghanistan;
Whereas the humanitarian assistance team was led by Tom
Little, an optometrist from New York, who raised 3 daughters
while living in Afghanistan and was deeply dedicated to
serving the health needs of Afghans, particularly those in
remote areas without access to medical care;
Whereas Dan Terry, originally from Sequim, Washington, was
fluent in multiple
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languages and had lived in Afghanistan since 1971, working
tirelessly on behalf of the country's most impoverished and
marginalized populations and helping international
humanitarian aid workers to understand and respect the local
culture;
Whereas the organization that sponsored these humanitarian
aid workers was a signatory to the ``Principles of Conduct
for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent for NGOs and
Disaster Response Programmes'', which states that ``aid will
not be used to further a particular political or religious
standpoint'';
Whereas international humanitarian aid workers have played
a vital role in saving lives and meeting basic human needs in
Afghanistan over the last 3 decades;
Whereas violent extremists have committed many ruthless and
brutal attacks against the people of Afghanistan, starting in
the 1990s with public executions in soccer stadiums, attacks
against girls attending school, and many other terrible
measures;
Whereas these violent extremists have directed wanton acts
of cruelty against Afghanistan's poorest and most vulnerable
populations, as well as against humanitarian aid workers; and
Whereas these senseless killings will have a tragic impact
for decades to come, both on the families of the victims and
on the people of Afghanistan: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors the lives of the brave and selfless humanitarian
aid workers, doctors, and nurses who died in the tragic
attack of August 5, 2010, in northern Afghanistan;
(2) extends its deepest condolences to the families of the
victims;
(3) strongly condemns those who committed these brutal
murders;
(4) urges the Afghan authorities to do their utmost to
bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice;
(5) encourages all parties to respect the neutral status of
humanitarian aid workers; and
(6) commends international humanitarian aid workers for
their courageous efforts to save lives and alleviate
suffering by providing important services to the Afghan
people.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
General Leave
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Tennessee?
There was no objection.
Mr. TANNER. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, on August 5, 2010, 10 unarmed humanitarian aid workers
affiliated with the International Assistance Mission, a nongovernmental
organization operating a mobile health clinic for Afghans with little
access to medical care, were brutally killed in Badakhshan province,
Afghanistan.
There were six Americans among the murdered aid workers. These brave
and selfless individuals, Cheryl Beckett, Brian Carderelli, Thomas
Grams, Glen Lapp, Tom Little and Dan Terry, dedicated their lives to
serving the people of Afghanistan.
Despite the grave danger that many humanitarian aid workers face,
including from the Taliban, aid workers continue to operate in
Afghanistan on behalf of the country's most impoverished and
marginalized populations.
We urge all parties involved in the conflict in Afghanistan to
respect the neutral status of humanitarian aid workers and urge the
Afghan authorities to do their utmost to bring the perpetrators of this
heinous act to justice.
The resolution before us today honors the sacrifice and the service
of the brave and caring aid workers, doctors, and nurses who died in
the tragic attack, and extends our condolences to the families of the
victims.
I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1620
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I yield such time as he may consume to the
author of the resolution, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts).
Mr. PITTS. I want to first thank the chairman of the committee, Mr.
Berman, and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for moving this resolution so
promptly.
It is a privilege for me to sponsor this resolution. The six
Americans had their lives brutally taken from them as they served the
people of Afghanistan, and they deserve our deepest respect.
From my district, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Glen Lapp came to
Afghanistan in 2008, leaving his life in Pennsylvania behind in order
to serve as the manager of a much-needed provincial eye care program in
Afghanistan. Glen wrote that his hope was to treat the Afghan people
with respect and with love as he served them throughout their country.
The others who were killed were just as dedicated to providing
humanitarian aid to the Afghans in remote areas.
Aid workers have played a vital role in serving the Afghan public
over the last three decades, due to the country's instability. While
many aid workers in the past were given safe passage in conflict areas,
sadly, in recent months, attacks against them have escalated. The
perpetrators are breaking longstanding customs and have resorted to
targeting the very people who are trying to supply the people of
Afghanistan with the resources necessary to meet their most basic
needs.
It is obvious that those who killed these aid workers oppose economic
and social progress in Afghanistan, including access to medical care,
education, and shelter. These perpetrators must be brought to justice.
These terrorists who killed these six Americans and four others are no
different from the terrorists who throw acid in girls' faces when they
try to go to school. They are the same terrorists who use children as
human shields against American troops.
Do we understand that these senseless killings are another terrible
reminder of the brutality of the Taliban and al Qaeda foreign fighters?
Do we understand that these murderers must be brought to justice no
matter where they originated, either in Afghanistan or Pakistan?
The people of Afghanistan suffer every day from the cruelty of the
Taliban. Along with the families who lost loved ones, the Afghans
suffer from the loss of these dedicated and courageous aid workers. As
a result of this brutal attack, critical medical care will no longer be
available to many of the Afghans who were served by these humanitarian
workers. We in the United States need to understand that, and we need
to call for justice. The Afghan authorities must conduct an
investigation and find these murderers, no matter where they might be
hiding or receiving sanctuary.
From various reports, there are strong indications that the attackers
were not local and some were speaking non-Afghan languages. Given the
location of the attack, the proximity to Taliban strongholds in
Nuristan, a province that borders volatile areas of Pakistan, and given
the cross-border nature of the Afghan insurgency, I strongly urge the
Government of Pakistan to do its utmost to cooperate in rooting out
extremism on its soil, in particular, the safe havens that exist on the
Pakistani side that have been the source of many acts of violence in
both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The safe havens for the Taliban, the al Qaeda, and the Haqqani
network must be eradicated.
This attack has been called by some the worst attack on humanitarian
aid workers in three decades of conflict in Afghanistan. Justice must
be served so that it never happens again.
To this end, I hope the U.S. Government is seeking to enhance and
dedicate greater resources to establishing law and order and
strengthening Afghan institutions to better protect the Afghan people
and their partners.
In closing, today we honor the brave and selfless humanitarian aid
workers, doctors, nurses who died on August 5. Their efforts to bring
healing and care to the Afghans were noble and good.
My thoughts and prayers are with the families of these heroes and
quiet leaders, as well as with the Afghan people who have suffered so
many decades of conflict and loss.
Mr. TANNER. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.
First, I want to thank Mr. Pitts for offering this important
resolution to remember the aid workers who died in Afghanistan. These
aid workers were killed because of their humanitarian efforts, because
they were trying to provide the Afghan people with important services
so they could live in freedom, opportunity, and prosperity.
For undertaking these noble efforts, the aid workers lost their lives
at the hands of murderous extremists who
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seek an Afghanistan in the dark ages, an Afghanistan where people are
debilitated by poverty and illiteracy, where democratic elections are
unthinkable, where women and girls are murdered simply for trying to go
to school, where freedom is a forbidden idea. Such an Afghanistan would
again be a safe haven for violent extremist groups like the Taliban and
al Qaeda who seek to destroy our Nation and our allies and to plunge
civilization itself into darkness. So, Madam Speaker, we continue to
strive to prevent such a threatening scenario from becoming a dangerous
reality.
In that respect, we owe a great deal of gratitude to the many
Americans who have done their part and sacrificed so very much,
particularly our men and women in uniform, to build a safe, secure, and
free Afghanistan. And we owe gratitude to the courageous humanitarian
aid workers who risk their lives as well to save lives and to alleviate
the suffering of the Afghan people.
In particular, we owe our thanks to the American aid workers who gave
their lives almost 2 months ago--Cheryl Beckett; Brian Carderelli;
Thomas Grams; Glen Lapp, who was Congressman Pitts' constituent and
friend; Tom Little; and Dan Terry. We mourn their loss, and we send our
condolences to their families.
Mr. SALAZAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1661,
to honor the lives of the brave and selfless humanitarian aid workers,
doctors, and nurses who died in the tragic attack of August 5, 2010, in
northern Afghanistan, one of whom was my constituent, Dr. Thomas Grams.
Dr. Grams practiced dentistry in Durango, Colorado, for many years.
Several years ago, he retired from private practice so that he could
dedicate his life fulltime to the assistance of residents in developing
countries.
Dr. Grams took countless trips to India, Nepal, and Afghanistan to
provide care for the indigent residents of these countries.
The focus of Dr. Grams' life was to provide service to others and his
mission was to provide access to dental and health care in some of the
most remote corners of the world.
Dr. Grams represented Western Colorado and his entire nation with
honor.
He exemplified what is best in our country, a strong sense of
compassion paired with the will and ability to help those in need.
Dr. Grams' passion for service will be sincerely missed in both
Durango and around the world by those he helped.
Our Nation and our world have lost a strong voice for compassion and
healing.
In honor of Dr. Grams' legacy, as well as those who were lost with
him, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1661.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1661.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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