REP BRIAN MAST: Congress has the perfect way to honor our nation’s fallen heroes

I retrieve each subject ceremonial I person been to vividly: each ace of the weapon salute, the slow, solemn hum of taps, the crisp folding of the emblem and being handed to a household subordinate with the words, "on behalf of a grateful nation." I cognize determination is thing we, arsenic a nation, tin bash to repay the debt, but I cognize determination is thing we tin bash to genuinely amusement however grateful we are arsenic a nation.  

That’s wherefore I person enactment distant legislation, the Final Honors Act, allowing immoderate U.S. work subordinate killed successful enactment (KIA) to prevarication successful authorities beneath the dome of the U.S. Capitol. This grant allows Americans to wage last tribute to those who person served our nation. The contented dates backmost to 1852, erstwhile Henry Clay — the seventh talker of the location and caput of State to President John Quincy Adams — archetypal received the recognition. Since then, conscionable 46 individuals person lain successful authorities oregon honor, including erstwhile presidents, civilian rights activistic Rosa Parks, and Capitol constabulary officers killed successful the enactment of duty.  

Every subordinate of our equipped forces who was killed erstwhile they were changeable down successful a pitchy oregon helicopter, received the circular of a sniper oregon the spray of instrumentality weapon fire, was deed by an RPG oregon IED, went down with a ship, oregon was successful immoderate different mode killed successful action, was killed due to the fact that they bravely and selflessly raised their close manus and swore an oath to support and support our Constitution and our country. They undertook jobs that were ever unsafe and proved to beryllium deadly, and they did truthful willingly, knowing that they mightiness not marque it location to their loved ones. But portion their emotion for America and each that she stands for was limitless, reverence for their sacrifice has not been. 

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That's wherefore I'm moving to guarantee our work members person the grant they merit by giving those KIA the accidental to prevarication successful authorities — truthful each American tin wage their last respects to a leader who embodied the precise champion of our nation. This would let the families of the fallen to take whether they privation to grant their fallen work subordinate with their emblem draped casket beneath the dome of our Capitol building.

A makeshift memorial for Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe is seen extracurricular of Farragut West Station, adjacent the tract wherever the 2 National Guard members were shot, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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The connection is wholly theirs to accept, but they would cognize their state stands with them and men similar maine volition reverently attack the casket, render a dilatory and purposeful salute, accidental a prayer, and accidental goodbye to our fallen sister oregon brother. I would similar the archetypal of these offers to beryllium extended to the household of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, of the West Virginia Army National Guard, who mislaid her beingness successful our nation’s capital. God willing, she volition beryllium the archetypal and last work subordinate to person this honor. But if different soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, oregon guardian, gives their beingness for our nation, past I judge we indispensable connection the nation’s highest level of respect and admiration by laying each and each 1 of those warriors successful state.

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We, arsenic citizens of the United States, person a work to grant the sacrifice of our warriors. But that is not arsenic intuitive arsenic galore would expect. As I presented this idea, I had galore radical archetypal bring up the inconveniences specified ceremonies would origin astir the Capitol if we were successful a warfare and suffering galore casualties. I pray, literally, for each of our men and women defending us, but if 1 of them gives their life, past our 535 lawmakers perfectly request their lives disrupted, to wage respect and bespeak connected the consequences of the decisions they make.

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Our nation’s lawmakers should person been doing this for each casualty of World War II and Korea, oregon the implicit 58,000 casualties of the Vietnam War, the Rangers, Delta operators, and Black Hawk pilots of Mogadishu, arsenic good arsenic my brothers and sisters successful some Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. We failed them successful the past, fto america not neglect Specialist Beckstrom oregon immoderate patriot who gives their beingness hereafter. 

To some, that whitethorn dependable symbolic. To those who person worn the azygous — oregon mislaid idiosyncratic who has —they volition admit the effort of a federation showing existent gratitude. It volition beryllium a reminder that our state comes astatine an unbelievable cost. With that, Specialist Beckstrom, connected behalf of a grateful nation, convey you, and convey God for blessing our federation with you, and whitethorn you remainder successful peace. 

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