Congressman Tim Burchett speaks at an event honoring Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss in Corryton, Saturday, April 9, 2022. CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL

Today marks one year since 13 U.S. service members were tragically killed in Kabul during the Biden administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. They were killed by a suicide bombing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

I want to take this opportunity to honor their memory and pay tribute to the families and loved ones who live with this loss daily.

Tennessee lost its own hero that day. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, of Corryton, was a loving husband, son, and friend to many. Inspired by his service, his school honored the Knauss family with a portrait of the fallen hero. Hanging in the hallways of Gibbs High School, the portrait will serve as a reminder and appreciation for Staff Sgt. Knauss’s heroism and sacrifice.

Knauss received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, among other decorations. I also had the honor to take part in the groundbreaking of a footbridge dedicated to the sergeant. His name is etched into the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial, and, most recently, two sections of a highway that runs through his hometown of Corryton were named in his honor.

If you remember, at the time, my fellow Republican colleagues wanted to honor our fallen heroes by reading their names on the House floor.

But Nancy Pelosi and her liberal friends refused to give them the respect they deserved. We will always remember these heroes. We will always say their names:

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah
Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts
Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California
Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California
Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska
Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California
Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio
Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee