Biden Signs Bill To Award Congressional Gold Medal To Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Other Servicemembers Killed In Afghanistan
LAWRENCE (CBS) -- President Joe Biden has signed legislation to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Lawrence Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo and the other 12 American servicemembers killed in Afghanistan in August, Rep. Lori Trahan said Thursday.
Rosario Pichardo, 25, was a Marine for eight years. She was killed August 26 in the suicide bomber attack during the evacuation mission at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan. She was screening women and girls at the time.
Trahan said Pichardo's sacrifice "will never - and must never - be forgotten."
"Sergeant Johanny Rosario Pichardo is a hero to her family, her friends, her community, and her country. Not a day goes by that her absence isn't felt by those who had the honor of knowing her and many more who didn't but remain deeply grateful for the sacrifices she made," Trahan said in a statement. "The awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award that Congress can bestow, is the least we can do to honor all Sergeant Rosario Pichardo did to save the lives of countless Americans and Afghan allies. It will serve as a reminder of the life of service she lived and the obligation each of us shares to carry on her legacy each day."
Roasario Pichardo was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart in September.