Whereas Austin Tice is a 34-year-old former United States Marine infantry officer and Georgetown law student and graduate of Georgetown University, from Houston, Texas; Whereas Austin was an Eagle Scout, National Merit Finalist, and eldest of seven children; Whereas Austin was a contributing freelancer to McClatchy Newspapers, the Washington Post and other media outlets and a recipient of the 2012 George Polk Award for War Reporting; Whereas in May 2012, Austin reportedly slipped under a fence at the Turkey-Syria border to report on the intensifying civil war from in and around Damascus, Syria; Whereas, on August 11, 2012, Austin celebrated his 31st birthday in Darayya, Syria, then was scheduled to travel to Beirut, Lebanon; Whereas in August 2012, Austin did not travel as planned to Lebanon and his frequent emails to his family stopped; Whereas in late September 2012, a video clip appeared on YouTube showing Austin blindfolded and being prodded up a hillside by masked militants; Whereas in the more than 1,000 days since Austin’s disappearance, no group has claimed responsibility for his capture; Whereas the Syrian government has never acknowledged detaining Austin and has denied the same to Austin’s parents; Whereas U.S. officials believe the government of Bashar al-Assad or a group affiliated with it is holding him; Whereas Austin Tice’s parents, Marc and Debra Tice have been diligent in their efforts to find their son, by partnering with Reporters Without Borders and a New York ad agency to launch The Blindfold Pledge to dramatize the increasing dangers to journalists in repressive regimes around the world; Whereas the couple also helped deploy four billboards across Harris County, Texas, last fall bearing their son's likeness and the phrase: Over 1,000 days in captivity for being a journalist ; Whereas the Tices have appeared at forums and panels discussions on the threats facing journalists around the world, including one during the week of April 4, 2016, at Georgetown, Austin's alma mater