Honoring Fallen Border Security Agent Brian Terry
Ericka Andersen /
Customs Border Protection Agent Brian Terry was just doing his job when he was killed in an Arizona shootout in December 2010 by assault weapons sold illegally to Mexican drug cartels – guns sold under the supervision of the U.S. government. The undercover weapons trafficking, widely known now as “Operation Fast and Furious” was overseen by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The shady details surrounding the operation – along with the inadequate response by the Obama Administration — are a disservice to Terry’s memory. As Heritage’s Rory Cooper wrote when the story broke in June:
However, even as stories have been written, and some broadcast outlets, including Fox and ABC, have run some stories on it, the attention this story merits is not matched by the attention it is getting. ABC’s Jake Tapper asked the White House: “What is the exact date that the President learned about the Justice Department ATF operation?” Carney deflected the question. … As of today, the only person punished for Operation Fast and Furious has been someone who helped expose the details. Accountability for this massive operational failure is essential, and it will come only with more media attention.
Now, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa wants to commemorate Terry with the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act of 2011, which would rename the Border Patrol station in Arizona after Agent Terry. A video was created in honor of Terry and in support of the Act, which is also supported by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ).