[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 211 (Tuesday, December 7, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING TERRELL CHANDLER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2021

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor one of our 
essential partners in supporting our Afghan allies as they await 
vetting and processing in Albania, Ms. Terrell Chandler.
  Ms. Chandler is the Director of Field Operations for Spirit of 
America, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support our 
diplomats and our men and women in uniform abroad. Through 1,442 
projects in 91 countries, Spirit of America delivers on the promise of 
a free and better life for countless individuals who live where 
Americans are deployed.
  Before joining Spirit of America, Ms. Chandler spent over a decade as 
a Navy reservist supporting Marines, Green Berets, and other Navy 
units. In 2014, she served a combat tour in Afghanistan where she 
supported Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces as a member of a Cultural 
Support Team. While deployed, she developed a first-of-its-kind 
curriculum and training for a military exchange between U.S. and female 
partner forces in Southwest Asia, all while working to deliver 
humanitarian aid that supported the local population. This mission 
brought her in contact with Spirit of America and after exiting the 
service, she joined the ranks of other veterans who work at the non-
profit.
  In her role, she's been instrumental in sourcing donations for more 
than 100 Afghans who were evacuated to Albania. Their harrowing journey 
out of danger may be over, but they still need support while they are 
vetted to come to the United States--a process that could take years. 
Ms. Chandler knows how to bring resources and efficiency to a mission 
and we couldn't ask for a better partner as we coordinate the short, 
medium and long-term plan for our allies.
  Ms. Chandler lives and breathes Mark Twain's words, ``broad, 
wholesome, charitable views of men and things can't be acquired by 
vegetating in one corner of the earth all one's life.'' Wherever her 
service has taken her, she has taken the time to give back.
  Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Ms. Terrell Chandler for her 
willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to 
evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. 
For her commitment to providing for them while they await processing 
and resettlement, and for her resourcefulness and grit to solve any 
challenge, come what may, I submit these words so they stand as a 
tribute to her dedicated service when the moment called for it most.

                          ____________________