U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik’s legislative director, Courtney Carrow, recently resigned from her post for a job with the U.S. Department of the Navy in Virginia.
Mr. Flanagin said Ms. Carrow helped the congresswoman fight personnel cuts at Fort Drum, secure the transfer of Apache helicopters, acquire funding for a potential East Coast missile defense site as well as funding for an NCO Academy at Fort Drum. She joined Ms. Stefanik’s staff in February 2015 as legislative assistant for military affairs.
Ms. Carrow has moved home to Virginia Beach for her new job, where she is closer to family and her fiance.
“I thank Courtney for her hard work on behalf of our district and for her tireless efforts on behalf of Fort Drum and our Navy Nuclear site at Kesselring,” Ms. Stefanik said in a statement. “I wish her all the best going forward in her new role.”
Ms. Carrow, as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, deployed to Afghanistan and served as the Navy conduit throughout to the International Security Assistance Force during the Afghan Presidential election, according to Ms. Stefanik’s office. She has a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and a Master’s degree from the Naval War College.
Back in February, Ms. Carrow came under fire for promoting a meme that seemingly compared Afghans to fictional “Star Wars” characters known as Ewoks. Ms. Carrow had included the photo in a staff email dated Feb. 2. It depicted an Ewok with the words: “You know I am sick of living in Afghanistan. Can’t you get me a visa to Hawaii?”
A screenshot of the email, along with an Instagram photo of Ms. Carrow with Afghan Ambassador to the United States Hamdullah Mohib, was posted on the Twitter account of a group mocking the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office. Ms. Carrow later apologized for the incident.
Ms. Stefanik’s spokesman, Tom Flanagin, said there was “no connection” between Ms. Carrow’s resignation and the Ewok meme incident.