Political Quotes

“Mr. President, last week President Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our Nation's highest civilian honor, to my longtime friend and fellow Alaskan Bonnie Carroll. In my judgment, this is a recognition long due. While America may have first heard the name Bonnie Carroll last week, our military families have long viewed her as a lifeline, a true woman of valor. Bonnie is the founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, TAPS. She founded TAPS after the death of her husband, Alaska Army National Guard BG Tom Carroll, in a military plane crash on November 12, 1992. TAPS is an organization that provides support to military families who have lost a loved one. TAPS welcomes anyone who is grieving the death of someone who died in the military. Its families have experienced loss in a variety of ways--from combat, suicide, terrorism, homicide, negligence, accidents, and illness. Our survivors include mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fiances, and other relatives of those who have died. Since its launch in 1994, TAPS has cared for the more than 50,000 surviving family members through a national network of peer-based emotional support services, a 24/7 helpline available to those grieving a loss, connections to community-based care throughout the Nation, and casework assistance for families navigating all of the resources and benefits available to them.…”