[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 14, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6475]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                 Honoring Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover

  Mr. ROMNEY. Madam President, this past weekend, we gathered to 
reflect on the anniversary of a national tragedy. The visible and 
invisible wounds incurred on that day continue to impact the lives of 
all of us.
  In the last two decades since 9/11, our Nation has demonstrated 
enormous resilience, imponderable sacrifice, and pursued justice in 
dangerous lands, often under perilous conditions. We have asked our 
servicemembers to do so very much to keep us safe, and they have 
responded with uncommon courage. Last month, 13 of our Nation's finest 
upheld their sacred oath at the cost of their lives.
  They were struck down by the cowardice of terrorists while, at the 
same time, they were helping innocent Afghan civilians reach a better 
life. Over 100 Afghan civilians were also killed on August 26 in that 
terrorist attack at the Kabul airport, and many more were grievously 
wounded. We also hold in our hearts the American servicemembers who 
suffered those terrible injuries that day.
  On September 11, 2001, Taylor Hoover, from Sandy, UT, was just 11 
years old. Nine years later, he was a staff sergeant in the Marine 
Corps. He would go on to serve three tours of duty in Afghanistan and 
earned both the respect of his fellow soldiers abroad and the 
admiration of those who knew him well and loved him here at home.
  As we recently gathered in Salt Lake City to mourn the life of Staff 
Sergeant Hoover, it was clear that this deep admiration was shared by 
thousands of the people of Utah. While our hearts were heavy with grief 
as his family shared their memories of Staff Sergeant Hoover, they were 
embraced by the crowd one by one as the ceremony concluded, and our 
communal bonds emerged ever stronger.