[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 163 (Tuesday, September 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6563-S6564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Honoring Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss
Mr. HAGERTY. Madam President, I have come to the floor of the Senate
today on behalf of myself and the senior Senator from Tennessee, Marsha
Blackburn, to honor the life and legacy of a heroic Tennessean, U.S.
Army SSG Ryan Knauss, who was killed in a terrorist attack while
serving the country that he loves so in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021.
Staff Sergeant Knauss served with the Army's 9th Psychological
Operations Battalion, 8th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg.
He was from Corryton, TN--a small, rural community where love of
country and volunteerism runs deep.
Corryton is known for being the hometown of country music star Kenny
Chesney, and now it will be known forever as the home of our hero, SSG
Ryan Knauss.
Ryan was 23 years old when he laid his life down for his Nation. I
have spoken with Staff Sergeant Knauss's widow Alena and his father
Greg. Through our conversations, I got to know a little bit more about
Staff Sergeant Knauss. And I am here today to share with you all and
with the American people just who Staff Sergeant Knauss was.
He was a devoted husband. Ryan met Alena when they were in high
school working at a local pizza parlor. I sensed her deep love for Ryan
when we spoke, and I am certain that Alena feels blessed to have had
the opportunity to be loved by someone like Ryan.
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He was a loyal son. After speaking with Ryan's father Greg, it was
clear the love and the commitment that SSG Ryan Knauss had for his
family and his fellow soldiers was unwavering.
I can only tell you that after hearing of Ryan's dedication to his
family and his country, it is the hope and prayer of every parent to
have a son as honorable and principled as Ryan. As a father, I told
Greg I couldn't fathom his grief.
Ryan had hoped to soon become a father himself. He and Alena had
plans to try for their first child when he came back from overseas. And
building a nursery was at the top of their to-do list when he was to
arrive home.
Staff Sergeant Knauss was a steadfast friend. His own friend spoke of
his charm and intelligence at a memorial service at his former high
school in Corryton. He was a charismatic person to whom people were
instantly drawn.
SSG Ryan Knauss was a proud and honorable soldier. And when his
country needed him at such a dire time, he fiercely answered the call.
Even as a child, Ryan knew his calling was to serve. In a friend's
elementary school yearbook, Ryan wrote that he wanted to serve in the
U.S. Armed Forces. And as a freshman in high school, he signed up for
the ROTC program. As one of his fellow soldiers explained, ``This was
his dream job, and he . . . ran with it.''
Ryan's unit, Detachment 10, described it as follows:
Ryan knew the dangerous situation he was going to, but
protecting innocent civilians is one of the values that drove
him. It has been said that life is not important except in
the impact it has on other lives, and Ryan had an incredible
impact on his family and friends. And thanks to his actions,
thousands of children will have the joy of knowing a
childhood free from danger and oppression.
The Bible teaches us that no one has ``greater love than this, than
to lay down one's life for one's friends.'' Staff Sergeant Knauss did
just that. He died a hero's death. He made the ultimate sacrifice for
his Nation, for all of us.
Ryan will be remembered as a selfless and heroic man--a Tennessee
volunteer--who, with a servant's heart, gave everything of himself at
just 23 years old for the country that he loved so dearly.
I ask that each of you here today join me in continuing to pray for
the Knauss family and uplift them in the coming days and months as they
lay their soldier to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.