Bill Text: TX HR244 | 2021 | 87th Legislature 3rd Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Chad Robichaux for his heroism during the evacuation of civilians from Afghanistan.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-10-26 - Reported enrolled [HR244 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HR244-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 244 |
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WHEREAS, Former marine Chad Robichaux demonstrated | ||
remarkable courage and compassion by scouting escape routes from | ||
Afghanistan and assisting with evacuation efforts during the | ||
American withdrawal from the country in August 2021; and | ||
WHEREAS, A veteran of the Force Reconnaissance special | ||
operations unit of the U.S. Marine Corps, Mr. Robichaux served | ||
eight deployments in Afghanistan as a marine and as a Department of | ||
Defense contractor with a Joint Special Operations Command task | ||
force; he is also a founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, a | ||
faith-based veteran service organization; and | ||
WHEREAS, In the chaos of the withdrawal, many members of the | ||
U.S. military and the private sector labored tirelessly to evacuate | ||
American citizens as well as Afghans who held green cards or were | ||
applicants for special immigration visas, all of whom were at risk | ||
for brutal retaliation by the Taliban; Mr. Robichaux and the Mighty | ||
Oaks Foundation joined with The Independence Fund to create a | ||
nongovernmental organization called Save Our Allies, and over the | ||
course of 10 days, a task force of 12 former special operations | ||
veterans evacuated 12,000 people from the airport in Kabul; and | ||
WHEREAS, Mr. Robichaux and another member of his team, | ||
U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Dennis Price, subsequently risked their | ||
lives by scouting more than 90 miles of extremely rugged and | ||
mountainous terrain along the border between Afghanistan and | ||
Tajikistan to facilitate additional evacuation efforts; for 10 | ||
days, the two men reconnoitered routes and tested river crossings | ||
while avoiding the Taliban and patrols of the Russian KGB and the | ||
Tajik and Chinese militaries; they were fired on by snipers, nearly | ||
captured or killed on several occasions, and swam freezing rivers | ||
to establish crossing points; in the end, they were forced to flee | ||
across the border themselves to a safe house in Dushanbe, the | ||
capital city of Tajikistan; and | ||
WHEREAS, Through his leadership, skill, and tremendous | ||
bravery, Chad Robichaux helped rescue thousands of people whose | ||
lives were in great danger, and his exceptional achievements are | ||
indeed deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas | ||
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby commend Chad Robichaux for | ||
his selfless heroism in Afghanistan and extend to him sincere best | ||
wishes for the future; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for Mr. Robichaux as an expression of high regard by the | ||
Texas House of Representatives. | ||
Toth | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 244 was adopted by the House on | ||
October 18, 2021, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||