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