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[Page S2287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Tice Family
Madam President, on a final matter, several families were in
Washington this last week to advocate for the release of their loved
ones by two rogue regimes. One of the men being held captive in Syria
is Austin Tice.
There are many ways you can describe Austin. He is a seventh-
generation Texan, a decorated Marine Corps veteran, an Eagle Scout, and
an award-winning journalist. Yet, to Austin's family, he is so much
more than his impressive list of accomplishments. He is their beloved
son, brother, and friend whom they have not seen or heard from for 6\1/
2\ years.
In the summer of 2012, Austin was getting ready to enter his final
year of law school at Georgetown University. Instead of spending the
summer working at a law firm, he chose to do something few were brave
enough to do at the time, which was to report on the Syrian civil war
from the inside. Austin always had a passion for storytelling, and he
was frustrated by the lack of reporting on the impact this vicious
violence was having on the Syrian people.
In demonstrating his courage and tenacity gained during his time in
the Marine Corps, Austin got on a plane that May to fly to Turkey. Over
the summer, his photos and stories illuminated the human cost of this
conflict until one day in August of 2012 his stories abruptly stopped.
The following month, a shocking video surfaced that showed Austin's
having been blindfolded, bound, and surrounded by unidentified, armed
men. Austin was just a few days from returning to the United States
when he was abducted, and to this day, we have no specific information
about his captors or the conditions for his release.
Austin's family--particularly Marc and Debra, his parents--has worked
tirelessly over these last 6\1/2\ years to locate Austin and to bring
him home. I have had the privilege of meeting with them multiple times,
and I can only imagine what an impact this has had on them and on their
entire family. I have tremendous respect for Marc, Debra, and their
family. I wonder if others could stand up under this pressure as well
as they have, lo these many years, during their steadfast advocacy for
their son's safe return. Yet they do have a sort of serene confidence
that comes across when you talk to them in that one day, Austin will
return home.
Once again, I join the Tice family in calling on Austin's captors to
release him immediately. I also continue to call on the administration
to make sure that Austin is kept in mind when there are any discussions
with the Syrian Government and future decisions to remove U.S. forces
from Syria. I assure Austin's family that our resolve has not weakened;
it has only grown stronger. I will do everything possible to press for
his release, and I will continue to urge the administration to do the
same.
