The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING LT. COL. BEN JACKMAN
______
HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Lieutenant Colonel Ben Jackman, Battalion Commander of the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
Originally from Princeton, N.J., Lt. Col. Jackman has an elite pedigree from our nation's premier military institutions. After graduating from West Point, he completed Ranger School and served multiple deployments, first in Korea and subsequently in Iraq. In between tours abroad, he attended the Command and General Staff College and the Advanced Military Studies Program at Fort Leavenworth, before deploying to Afghanistan. In the almost 20 years that Lt. Col. Jackman has worn the uniform, he has earned multiple awards and decorations, including the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman and Expert Infantryman Badges, the Bronze Star Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.
In short, Lt. Col. Jackman is an officer's officer. He sets the standard for the other battalion commanders and officers around him--
which is why, when the mission to safeguard the airport in Kabul demanded our nation's best, Lt. Col. Jackman stepped into the breach. He came face to face with a chaotic, dangerous situation on the ground, full of risk for both the Afghans crowding the gates and the troops responsible for guarding them. The mission demanded equal parts strategic knowledge of perimeter security as well as the human skills to determine who could get through.
The mission brought out the best of our nation's servicemen and women. It had them give up sleep and comfort to help load the sick, the elderly, and small children onto planes scheduled to depart. It required stamina and grit, and it involved sacrifice--11 Marines, an Army soldier and a Navy corpsman who gave their lives defending our allies.
Through it all, Lt. Col. Jackman is the reason that our group of more than 100 Afghans was able to safely make it inside the airport gates. His bravery and his command spared them from the danger they faced to life and limb.
Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Lt. Col. Ben Jackman for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty in our effort to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul and support them in their new life. For the profound difference that he has made in the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of individuals who are now safe, and for his actions that are in keeping with the highest traditions of our military and our nation, I submit these words--may they stand as a tribute to his dedicated service when the moment called for it most.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 211(1), Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 211(2)
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