Full Text of SR0487 102nd General Assembly
SR0487 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Kabul, Afghanistan fell to the advancing Taliban | 3 | | forces on August 15, 2021; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, In scenes eerily reminiscent of the fall of | 5 | | Saigon in 1975, U.S. forces were forced to evacuate the U.S. | 6 | | Embassy in Kabul by helicopter, echoing and amplifying a dark | 7 | | moment in American history; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, As these images unfolded, Americans from all | 9 | | walks of life watched in horror as the U.S. flag at the embassy | 10 | | was furled and embassy personnel fled from hostile combatants, | 11 | | as scenes of chaos and confusion deluged the international | 12 | | airport in Kabul, as young men plunged to their deaths after | 13 | | vainly attempting to latch themselves to departing evacuation | 14 | | planes, and as desperate parents pressed their children into | 15 | | the hands of U.S. service members, even at the price of | 16 | | separation, to ensure that their children had the chance to | 17 | | grow up free; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, A terrorist bomb attack at the Kabul airport | 19 | | killed at least 169 Afghan civilians on August 26, 2021, | 20 | | including Sayed Obaidullah Amin, an Afghan interpreter who | 21 | | served alongside U.S. troops; countless others were wounded; | 22 | | and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Eighteen U.S. service members were wounded in | 2 | | this attack, and an additional thirteen U.S. service members | 3 | | made the ultimate sacrifice, dying in the line of duty; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, These brave men and women gave their lives to | 5 | | defend their fellow Americans and to uphold the U.S. flag and | 6 | | everything for which it stands; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, August 26, 2021 was the deadliest day for the | 8 | | U.S. military in Afghanistan since 2011; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The U.S. government abandoned allies, ignored or | 10 | | neglected actionable intelligence, and sent contradictory | 11 | | signals in the face of the rapid Taliban advance; it was | 12 | | unprepared to evacuate U.S. citizens, allies, and the Afghan | 13 | | citizens who served alongside U.S. troops or to safeguard the | 14 | | U.S. troops guarding the airport in Kabul; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, The Afghan allies of the U.S. paid a heavy price; | 16 | | Afghan forces remained in the field until the withdrawal of | 17 | | U.S. air support; 66,000 Afghan soldiers and policemen were | 18 | | killed fighting side by side with or under the direction of the | 19 | | international coalition led by the U.S.; more than 47,000 | 20 | | Afghan civilians were killed throughout the conflict; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The U.S. government abandoned the defensible and | 2 | | geopolitically important Bagram Air Field prior to the | 3 | | evacuation of U.S. citizens, allies, and fleeing Afghans; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Contrary to the American military ethos of | 5 | | leaving no man behind, the U.S. government has abandoned an | 6 | | unknown number of U.S. citizens, Afghan interpreters, and | 7 | | others who served directly alongside U.S. troops in | 8 | | Afghanistan; many were unable to escape prior to the final | 9 | | withdrawal of U.S. troops, leaving behind not only men but | 10 | | also women and children who will bear the brunt of the | 11 | | Taliban's repressive policies; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Upon announcing that the last U.S. troops had | 13 | | left Kabul, Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., | 14 | | Commander of U.S. Central Command, stated that some U.S. | 15 | | citizens who wanted to leave Afghanistan had been left behind; | 16 | | and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Media sources have reported instances of innocent | 18 | | civilians and Afghan allies being raped, tortured, and | 19 | | executed by the Taliban and of Taliban fighters forcing young | 20 | | women and girls into so-called marriages; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, The handling of the troop withdrawal by the U.S. | 22 | | has been widely panned and referred to as a total disaster, |
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| 1 | | egregiously mishandled, and flawed; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, America's NATO allies have roundly and sharply | 3 | | criticized the handling of the drawdown and the current | 4 | | administration's go it alone approach; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, American leadership apparently disregarded the | 6 | | appeals and calls of the leaders of the allied nations that | 7 | | have stood with the U.S. throughout two decades in Afghanistan | 8 | | during the critical moments prior to and following the fall of | 9 | | Kabul; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan undercut | 11 | | the global credibility of the U.S., its ability to inspire | 12 | | fear in its enemies, and its standing among its friends and | 13 | | allies while empowering its enemies at the expense of its | 14 | | friends; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, The pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and | 16 | | the collapse of a friendly government to a hostile insurgency | 17 | | weakens America's defense and security posture in Central Asia | 18 | | and the Indian subcontinent; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Al-Qaeda and other militant groups, such as the | 20 | | so-called Islamic State, currently operate in Afghanistan and | 21 | | may, once again, use it as a base to train and launch terror |
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| 1 | | attacks against the U.S. and its allies; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Media reports indicate that the Taliban and its | 3 | | allies now possess tens of billions of dollars' worth of | 4 | | military gear and weapons that were manufactured in the U.S., | 5 | | including Blackhawk helicopters, drones, night-vision goggles, | 6 | | and military vehicles that were seized following the American | 7 | | withdrawal; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, For many veterans, particularly those who served | 9 | | in Afghanistan, the chilling images have reawakened old wounds | 10 | | and unearthed buried memories, causing them to question the | 11 | | purpose of their sacrifices; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Over the past weeks, many of these veterans have | 13 | | made phone calls, sent emails, and done everything in their | 14 | | power to facilitate the evacuation of Afghan friends and | 15 | | colleagues with whom they had served; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, More than 2,400 U.S. service members died serving | 17 | | their country in Afghanistan, and countless others returned | 18 | | maimed and injured, forever changed by their wartime | 19 | | experiences; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are | 21 | | universal and unalienable rights shared by men and women |
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| 1 | | across the globe, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or | 2 | | culture; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Under the Taliban, Afghans, especially Afghan | 4 | | women, will lose many of the rights and freedoms they achieved | 5 | | under the former government; as the promise of freedom has | 6 | | receded, it has been replaced by the dim reality of | 7 | | oppression; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, To escape danger and to seek freedom and a better | 9 | | life, many of the Afghan allies of the U.S. have fled their | 10 | | homes, seeking refuge in the U.S. and other allied countries; | 11 | | therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 13 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor the memory of | 14 | | all U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan, including the | 15 | | thirteen who died on August 26, 2021 who were Marine Corps | 16 | | Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, | 17 | | Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, Army Staff Sgt. Ryan | 18 | | C. Knauss, Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Marine Corps Lance | 19 | | Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. | 20 | | Merola, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, Marine Corps | 21 | | Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. | 22 | | Sanchez, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Navy | 23 | | Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, and Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. |
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| 1 | | Page, and we extend our sincere condolences to their families; | 2 | | and be it further
| 3 | | RESOLVED, That we extend our gratitude to all the men and | 4 | | women of the U.S. Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan to let | 5 | | them know that, even in these dark days for our country and for | 6 | | Afghanistan, their sacrifices have not been forgotten; and be | 7 | | it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That we urge the federal government to secure | 9 | | the safety and evacuation of any U.S. citizens still remaining | 10 | | in Afghanistan; and be it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That we urge the federal government to work with | 12 | | international, state, and local governments to assist | 13 | | displaced Afghan allies to resettle in safe communities, | 14 | | either in the U.S. or in other, allied nations; and be it | 15 | | further
| 16 | | RESOLVED, That, as the American people expect | 17 | | accountability from their leadership, we urge the federal | 18 | | government to somberly evaluate the failures of U.S. | 19 | | leadership that led to this grim denouement of Operation | 20 | | Enduring Freedom, to stand boldly against totalitarian regimes | 21 | | emboldened by this perceived American weakness, and to once | 22 | | again take up America's historic position as the leader of the |
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| 1 | | free world and as a beacon of liberty across the globe.
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