87S31082 JGH-D
By: Toth H.R. No. 244
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Former marine Chad Robichaux demonstrated
remarkable courage and compassion by scouting escape routes from
Afghanistan and assisting with evacuation efforts during the
American withdrawal from the country in August 2021; and
WHEREAS, A veteran of the Force Reconnaissance special
operations unit of the U.S. Marine Corps, Mr. Robichaux served
eight deployments in Afghanistan as a marine and as a Department of
Defense contractor with a Joint Special Operations Command task
force; he is also a founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, a
faith-based veteran service organization; and
WHEREAS, In the chaos of the withdrawal, many members of the
U.S. military and the private sector labored tirelessly to evacuate
American citizens as well as Afghans who held green cards or were
applicants for special immigration visas, all of whom were at risk
for brutal retaliation by the Taliban; Mr. Robichaux and the Mighty
Oaks Foundation joined with The Independence Fund to create a
nongovernmental organization called Save Our Allies, and over the
course of 10 days, a task force of 12 former special operations
veterans evacuated 12,000 people from the airport in Kabul; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Robichaux and another member of his team, U.S.
Marine Staff Sergeant Dennis Price, subsequently risked their lives
by scouting more than 90 miles of extremely rugged and mountainous
terrain along the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan to
facilitate additional evacuation efforts; for 10 days, the two men
reconnoitered routes and tested river crossings while avoiding the
Taliban and patrols of the Russian KGB and the Tajik and Chinese
militaries; they were fired on by snipers, nearly captured or
killed on several occasions, and swam freezing rivers to establish
crossing points; in the end, they were forced to flee across the
border themselves to a safe house in Dushanbe, the capital city of
Tajikistan; and
WHEREAS, Through his leadership, skill, and tremendous
bravery, Chad Robichaux helped rescue thousands of people whose
lives were in great danger, and his exceptional achievements are
indeed deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby commend Chad Robichaux for
his selfless heroism in Afghanistan and extend to him sincere best
wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Robichaux as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.