[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 173 (Tuesday, December 1, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S8238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO BONNIE CARROLL

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, last week President Obama awarded the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom, our Nation's highest civilian honor, to 
my longtime friend and fellow Alaskan Bonnie Carroll. In my judgment, 
this is a recognition long due. While America may have first heard the 
name Bonnie Carroll last week, our military families have long viewed 
her as a lifeline, a true woman of valor.
  Bonnie is the founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for 
Survivors, TAPS. She founded TAPS after the death of her husband, 
Alaska Army National Guard BG Tom Carroll, in a military plane crash on 
November 12, 1992.
  TAPS is an organization that provides support to military families 
who have lost a loved one. TAPS welcomes anyone who is grieving the 
death of someone who died in the military. Its families have 
experienced loss in a variety of ways--from combat, suicide, terrorism, 
homicide, negligence, accidents, and illness. Our survivors include 
mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, brothers 
and sisters, fiances, and other relatives of those who have died.
  Since its launch in 1994, TAPS has cared for the more than 50,000 
surviving family members through a national network of peer-based 
emotional support services, a 24/7 helpline available to those grieving 
a loss, connections to community-based care throughout the Nation, and 
casework assistance for families navigating all of the resources and 
benefits available to them.
  One of TAPS' most respected programs is its ``Good Grief Camp,'' 
which is offered to young people who have lost a loved one. This 
program pairs young survivors with Active-Duty military mentors. 
Military mentors help the young survivors learn how our Nation honors 
those who have served and sacrificed and companion these children 
during their grief journey.
  I suspect that many of our fellow Americans had never heard of Bonnie 
Carroll or TAPS before. Unlike some of the others honored at last 
week's ceremony--people like Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, and 
James Taylor--Bonnie is not a celebrity. She does not seek attention 
for herself. Her laser focus is on helping military families, and she 
does nothing to distract herself or her organization from that mission. 
But that doesn't make her any less a rockstar. And now America knows 
why.
  Incredible as it may seem, Bonnie Carroll's road to distinction did 
not begin with her work at TAPS. Her resume includes service to America 
as a member of the Air National Guard, the U.S. Air Force Reserve, as a 
senior staff member in the Reagan White House Cabinet Affairs Office, 
and the VA's White House liaison in the administration of President 
George W. Bush. She relocated to Baghdad to serve with the Coalition 
Provisional Authority. She has served on countless boards and 
commissions related to military health, suicide prevention, and grief 
therapy.
  Bonnie reflects the very best of the Alaskan spirit, a spirit of 
community and service before self. I am honored to join with the 
President in recognizing the extraordinary contributions of Bonnie 
Carroll, my dear friend, fellow Alaskan, and great American.

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