H. Res. 1661 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
September 28, 2010. 
Whereas 10 unarmed civilians were brutally killed in 
Badakhshan province, Afghanistan, on August 5, 2010; 
Whereas those killed were humanitarian aid workers, oper-
ating a mobile health clinic for people with little access 
to medical care; 
Whereas the humanitarian assistance team included a sur-
geon, an optometrist, a dentist, a nurse, a photographer, 
translators, a cook, and a guard; 
Whereas among the murdered humanitarian aid workers were 
6 United States citizens, including Cheryl Beckett, Brian 
Carderelli, Thomas Grams, Glen Lapp, Tom Little, and 
Dan Terry; 
Whereas Cheryl Beckett, who grew up near Cincinnati, Ohio, 
had spent 6 years in Afghanistan, helping mothers to 
provide adequate nutrition for themselves and their chil-
dren, and organizing relief efforts for more than 200 Af-
ghan families struggling to survive the winter without 
heat or electricity; 
Whereas Brian Carderelli, a recent graduate of James Madi-
son University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, joined the med-
ical team as a photographer and videographer, docu-
•HRES 1661 EH 
menting the Afghan communities to which the team pro-
vided assistance and the successes they together achieved; 
Whereas Dr. Thomas Grams, a dentist from Durango, Colo-
rado, gave up his practice 4 years ago to devote his life 
to providing free dental care to those in need, especially 
children throughout Asia and Latin American, with a 
focus on Nepal and Afghanistan; 
Whereas Glen Lapp, a nurse from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 
came to Afghanistan in 2008 in order to serve as man-
ager of a much-needed provincial eye care program in Af-
ghanistan; 
Whereas the humanitarian assistance team was led by Tom 
Little, an optometrist from New York, who raised 3 
daughters while living in Afghanistan and was deeply 
dedicated to serving the health needs of Afghans, particu-
larly those in remote areas without access to medical 
care; 
Whereas Dan Terry, originally from Sequim, Washington, 
was fluent in multiple languages and had lived in Af-
ghanistan since 1971, working tirelessly on behalf of the 
country’s most impoverished and marginalized popu-
lations and helping international humanitarian aid work-
ers to understand and respect the local culture; 
Whereas the organization that sponsored these humanitarian 
aid workers was a signatory to the ‘‘Principles of Con-
duct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent 
for NGOs and Disaster Response Programmes’’, which 
states that ‘‘aid will not be used to further a particular 
political or religious standpoint’’;
•HRES 1661 EH 
Whereas international humanitarian aid workers have played 
a vital role in saving lives and meeting basic human 
needs in Afghanistan over the last 3 decades; 
Whereas violent extremists have committed many ruthless 
and brutal attacks against the people of Afghanistan, 
starting in the 1990s with public executions in soccer sta-
diums, attacks against girls attending school, and many 
other terrible measures; 
Whereas these violent extremists have directed wanton acts of 
cruelty against Afghanistan’s poorest and most vulner-
able populations, as well as against humanitarian aid 
workers; and 
Whereas these senseless killings will have a tragic impact for 
decades to come, both on the families of the victims and 
on the people of Afghanistan: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) honors the lives of the brave and selfless hu-
manitarian aid workers, doctors, and nurses who died in 
the tragic attack of August 5, 2010, in northern Afghan-
istan; 
(2) extends its deepest condolences to the families 
of the victims; 
(3) strongly condemns those who committed these 
brutal murders; 
(4) urges the Afghan authorities to do their utmost 
to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice; 
(5) encourages all parties to respect the neutral sta-
tus of humanitarian aid workers; and
•HRES 1661 EH 
(6) commends international humanitarian aid work-
ers for their courageous efforts to save lives and alleviate 
suffering by providing important services to the Afghan 
people. 
Attest: 
Clerk.