WASHINGTON – A bill that would rename the Pine Plains Post Office in honor of Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, who was killed in Syria in January, passed in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
The measure was introduced by Congressman Antonio Delgado (D, NY-19) in May.
Kent was one of four Americans killed by a suicide bomber during her fifth tour in the Middle East.
The Pine Plains native, who was 35 at the time of her death, was an “example to all of us,” said Delgado.
Kent survived thyroid cancer in 2016 and in 2018 was selected to participate in a special officer program to earn a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. She was later disqualified, having not met the required medical standards established under a DOD rule, from seeking the commission as an officer in the armed forces.
She appealed and was denied a waiver and in November 2018 deployed to Syria.
The wife and mother of two was the recipient of the Bronz 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.
