[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 163 (Tuesday, September 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING SSG RYAN KNAUSS

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, it is my honor to pay tribute today 
to a fellow Tennessean who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
  On August 26, 2021, at approximately 9:30 am Eastern Standard Time, 
an ISIS-K terrorist murdered 13 American servicemembers in a suicide 
attack on the Abbey Gate leading into Hamid Karzai International 
Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
  Among the fallen was Corryton native SSG Ryan Knauss. Ryan served 
with the Army's 9th Battalion, 8th Psychological Operations Group 
(Airborne), which put him directly in the heart of Afghan communities. 
His job was to build relationships with the people he met there, and by 
all accounts, he succeeded with uncommon skill, empathy, and 
compassion. It was dangerous work, but Ryan understood its importance. 
As his widow Alena recently told a Knoxville newspaper, ``When he spoke 
of the people of Afghanistan, all he saw were people that needed help. 
They were below no one in his eyes, not even Americans. He told me that 
all he saw were people of a different culture who deserved to be OK.''
  When the time came for the Army to support evacuations at the 
airport, Ryan volunteered for the mission. He knew that, by doing this, 
he would be putting himself in danger; but when he looked at the chaos 
unfolding there, all he saw were the thousands of women and children 
forced into the line of fire by the persistent, terrifying evil that 
was seizing control of Kabul.
  And so he went and faithfully executed his duty. He was born to be a 
soldier and died as the finest example of American heroism anyone could 
ask for. He was a loving husband, a loyal friend, and a light in the 
darkness. Ryan's unit, Detachment 10, offered a statement following his 
death that I believe deserves a place in the Record. They said, ``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.''
  Ryan, we are in awe of you. Thank you for your service to this 
country and for your sacrifice on behalf of all those who seek refuge 
within the common cause of freedom.
  (At the request of Mr. Inhofe, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)

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