Chris Pappas: “I thank my friend from Kentucky for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Medal of Honor Act. The…”

“I thank my friend from Kentucky for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Medal of Honor Act. The Medal of Honor is our Nation's highest military decoration. It recognizes the extraordinary valor that distinguished men and women of our military demonstrated in critical moments during their service to our great Nation. There are 63 living Medal of Honor recipients, including heroes like Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts of New Hampshire, who served two tours in Afghanistan. During his second deployment, hundreds of insurgents attacked the Army base where he was stationed. Sergeant Pitts was badly wounded by a grenade but continued to fight with a tourniquet on his leg, singlehandedly holding his outpost for 2 hours. That battle is now known as the Battle of Wanat, one of the bloodiest battles of the war in Afghanistan. Thanks to the bravery of Sergeant Pitts, Americans were able to turn the tide in that battle and hold their position, leading Taliban fighters to withdraw from the area. As ranking member of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I am focused, with my colleagues, on how we can make good on our promises to our veterans and be worthy of their sacrifice. It is our responsibility as Americans to ensure that all of our servicemembers, veterans, and their families have the support that they earned and deserve.…”