,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #deba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #ag1 #bjbe,mr4 ,norman 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,miller of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,stanton1 and ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,financial ,services1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,house ,administration1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to award a ,congressional ,gold ,medal to ,chad ,robichaux1 ,sarah ,verardo1 ,tim ,kennedy1 ,kevin ,rourke1 ,sean ,gabler1 ,dave ,johnson1 and ,dennis ,price1 in recognition of their exceptional efforts and selfless dedication during the ,afghanistan evacuation in #bjba1 which led to the safe evacuation of over #ag1jjj people from ,taliban-controlled ,afghanistan4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,save our ,allies ,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the events of ,august #bjba marked a significant turning point in the history of the ,united ,states engagement in ,afghanistan1 as the ,nation underwent a process of withdrawal after over two decades of military presence4 7#b7 ,over the course of those #bj years1 countless men and women in uniform made tremendous sacrifices to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom1 while also honoring the promises made to the ,afghan people to build a safer and more prosperous ,nation4 7#c7 ,among these exceptional individuals were the #ac individuals who participated in the ,afghanistan evacuation in #bjba1 serving as a beacon of hope and demonstrating unwavering dedication to the ideals of ,america4 7#d7 ,when the final withdrawal was announced1 ,chad ,robichaux knew he needed to act4 ,his combat interpreter1 ,aziz1 who had saved his life on countless occasions throughout his eight deployments to ,afghanistan as part of a ,joint ,special ,operations ,task ,force1 was now being hunted and targeted by the ,taliban for helping him4 ,determined to save his loyal friend1 ,chad embarked on a mission that would bring together #ac modern-day avengers1 all ,special ,operations veterans1 and one determined woman1 to drop everything and rescue ,aziz and his family from ,afghanistan4 ,without hesitation1 each member of the team agreed to join the daring mission4 7#e7 ,in a matter of hours1 ,chad ,robichaux assembled his team and made a crucial call to ,sarah ,verardo1 the wife of a catastrophically wounded ,soldier from his service in ,afghanistan1 who miraculously secured their way to ,hamid ,karzai ,international ,airport 7,,hkia7 in ,kabul1 ,afghanistan4 ,the #ab-man team quickly mobilized1 with ,chad heading to ,abu ,dhabi1 ,,uae1 to establish a humanitarian center for evacuees4 ,meanwhile1 ,tim ,kennedy1 ,kevin ,roarke1 ,sean ,gabler1 and ,dave ,johnson headed for ,,hkia itself4 ,setting up a command center at ,,hkia1 the team conducted non-stop rescue operations amidst ,taliban-controlled territory1 facing immense danger without a ,quick ,reaction ,force 7,,qrf74 ,in just #aj days1 their unwavering efforts led to the successful rescue of over #ab1jjj lives4 7#f7 ,even in the face of tremendous adversity1 the team's dedication did not waver4 ,despite ,abbey ,gate being destroyed and the gates welded shut1 they refused to leave4 ,over the next two months1 they continued their humanitarian efforts remotely1 leading a coalition to rescue an additional #e1jjj individuals through alternate routes around the region4 ,their commitment and determination made a significant difference during this critical time of need4 7#g7 ,chad ,robichaux's mission did not end with the evacuation from ,,hkia4 ,teaming up with ,fellow ,force ,recon ,marine and ,scout ,sniper1 ,staff ,sergeant ,dennis ,price1 he embarked on a grueling #aj-;day1 #ij-mile reconnaissance mission along the ,tajikistan and ,afghanistan border1 swimming into ,afghanistan every night past ,taliban and ,chinese soldiers in order to use their special operations experience to build evacuation routes for women and children still trapped in ,afghanistan as ,afghan ,commandos attempted to move them to the ,tajikistan border4 ,braving the treacherous terrain and encounters with foreign militaries1 including ,chinese1 ,russian1 ,tajikistan1 and ,taliban fighters1 they successfully established routes that are still in use today1 ensuring more people could find their way to safety4 7#h7 ,the valor and courage displayed by ,chad ,robichaux1 ,sarah ,verardo1 and the #ab ,special ,operations veterans during the ,afghanistan evacuation in #bjba exemplify the very essence of ,america's promises to the ,afghan people throughout the #bj years of war4 ,their actions served as a powerful testament to the unwavering loyalty and dedication of the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces1 reinforcing our nation's role as a beacon of hope and justice on the global stage4 ,their commitment to duty and humanity will forever be etched in the ,congressional ,record as a shining example of ,american heroism4 7#i7 ,under the exceptional leadership of ,force ,recon ,marine ,chad ,robichaux1 this remarkable team of ,special ,operation veterans took up the charge to protect and evacuate over #ag1jjj citizens and ,afghan allies from ,taliban-controlled ,afghanistan1 during a time of unfathomable danger and uncertainty4 7#aj7 ,these individuals have dedicated their lives to protecting our country1 putting their own lives on the line to safeguard others1 and their heroism deserves great honor4 #c4 ,congressional gold medals 7a7 ,presentation authorized ,the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,president pro tempore of the ,senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation1 on behalf of the ,congress1 of a single gold medal of appropriate design to ,chad ,robichaux1 ,sarah ,verardo1 ,tim ,kennedy1 ,kevin ,rourke1 ,sean ,gabler1 ,dave ,johnson1 and ,dennis ,price1 in recognition of their exceptional efforts and selfless dedication during the ,afghanistan evacuation in #bjba1 which led to the safe evacuation of over #ag1jjj people from ,taliban-controlled ,afghanistan4 7b7 ,design and striking ,for the purposes of the presentation referred to in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 shall strike the gold medals with suitable emblems1 devices1 and inscriptions1 to be determined by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,smithsonian institution 7#a7 ,in general ,following the award of the gold medal under subsection 7a71 the gold medal shall be given to the ,smithsonian ,institution1 where it shall be available for display as appropriate and made available for research4 7#b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,smithsonian ,institution should make the gold medal received under paragraph 7#a7 available for display outside of the ,district of ,columbia at times1 particularly at other locations associated with the team of ,special ,operation ,veterans' service in the ,afghanistan evacuation of #bjba4 #d4 ,duplicate medals ,the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medals struck under section #c1 at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof1 including labor1 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead expenses4 #e4 ,status of medals 7a7 ,national medals ,medals struck pursuant to this ,act are national medals for purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4 7b7 ,numismatic items ,for purposes of sections #eacd and #eacf of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 all medals struck under this ,act shall be considered to be numismatic items4 #f4 ,authority to use fund amounts2 proceeds of sale 7a7 ,authority ,to use fund amounts ,there is authorized to be charged against the ,united ,states ,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant to this ,act4 7b7 ,proceeds of sale ,the amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section #c shall be deposited into the ,united ,states ,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund4