Title: Honoring the life of Chief Petty Officer Shannon M. Kent.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This resolution honors the life of Chief Petty Officer Shannon M. Kent and her meritorious service in combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 134 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 134

       Honoring the life of Chief Petty Officer Shannon M. Kent.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 14, 2019

  Mr. Delgado (for himself, Ms. Stefanik, and Mr. Budd) submitted the 
  following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
       Honoring the life of Chief Petty Officer Shannon M. Kent.

Whereas Chief Petty Officer Shannon M. Kent was born in Pine Plains, New York, 
        to Stephen and Mary Smith;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent enlisted in the United States Navy on December 
        11, 2003, after graduating with honors from Stissing Mountain High 
        School, New York;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent, a 2005 graduate of the Defense Language 
        Institute, was fluent in five languages and six dialects of Arabic;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent quickly rose through the ranks and served as a 
        member of the Cryptologic Warfare Unit of the Navy, stationed at Fort 
        Meade, Maryland;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent deployed with the Navy SEALs to Iraq three 
        times from 2007 to 2011 and to Afghanistan in 2012;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent was diagnosed with and survived thyroid cancer 
        in 2016;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent was deemed cancer free by her doctors and 
        cleared for all physical activity;
Whereas, in March 2018, Chief Petty Officer Kent was selected to participate in 
        a special officer program to earn a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the 
        Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent was disqualified, having not met the physical 
        standards established under Department of Defense Instruction 6130.03, 
        from seeking the commission as an officer in the Armed Forces required 
        to participate in the special program because of her history of thyroid 
        cancer;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent appealed to the Department of the Navy to 
        establish a standardized waiver process for members of the Armed Forces 
        who meet retention and deployment standards but fail to meet the 
        heightened accession standards regarding the physical fitness of such 
        members;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent received an ``outstanding'' rating on her 
        Physical Readiness Test in May 2018, deeming her medically fit to serve 
        in a combat zone while she remained medically unfit to pursue a Ph.D.;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent, having been denied a waiver and an appeal from 
        the Department of the Navy to seek a commission as an officer in the 
        Armed Forces, deployed to Syria in November 2018;
Whereas, on January 16, 2019, at 35 years of age, Chief Petty Officer Kent was 
        killed in a suicide bombing in Manbij, Syria, while supporting Joint 
        Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent served in five combat tours in the Middle East, 
        including Afghanistan, Iraq, and finally Syria;
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent was the recipient of the Bronze Star, the 
        Purple Heart, two Joint Service Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine 
        Corps Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Joint 
        Service Achievement Medal, among other decorations and awards; and
Whereas Chief Petty Officer Kent is survived by her husband and two children: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the life of Chief Petty Officer Shannon M. Kent;
            (2) recognizes the meritorious service of Chief Petty 
        Officer Kent to the United States in combat operations in 
        Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria;
            (3) expresses condolences to the family of Chief Petty 
        Officer Kent on her passing; and
            (4) urges the Department of the Navy and the Department of 
        Defense to continue to review and engage with Congress 
        regarding the effect of chapter 15 of the Manual of the Medical 
        Department of the Navy and Department of Defense Instruction 
        6130.03 on members of the Armed Forces who meet retention and 
        deployment standards but fail to meet accession standards.
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