On the fifth anniversary of the Abbey Gate terror attack in Afghanistan, the Trump administration honored service members killed and injured during the attack.
The attack, which took place during the chaotic military pull-out of Afghanistan on Aug. 26, 2021, left 13 service members killed and 45 wounded outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, when an ISIS suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in a crowd of civilian and military members.
During a ceremony at the Pentagon Wednesday, upgrading valor awards for three Marines injured during the attack, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth noted the three service members were finally being recognized for their valor.
Hegseth pinned Bronze Star Medals with a “V” device for valor on Gunnery Sergeant Jonathan Eby and Land Corporal Jordan Houston, while presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a “V” device for valor to Corporal Michael Gretzon.
During the solemn ceremony, the secretary indicated the awards were long overdue, pointing fingers at the Biden administration for what has been described as a “botched” withdrawal by the Trump administration.
“The world watches how we treat our heroes. When they see a United States that fiercely defends, champions and unites the hands of its warfighters, a country that corrects injustices and honors valor at the point of friction, they see an ironclad resolve of an unbreakable republic,” Hegseth said during the ceremony. “By upgrading these awards, we are stating clearly: America’s warriors will be fiercely supported, and our military’s lethal edge will not be compromised by desk-bound bureaucracy or lawyers in the cheap seats.”
The secretary blames the delay in awards on “bureaucratic caution, or maybe politics” that stood “in the way of proper recognition.”
President Donald Trump marked the anniversary with similar comments, blaming the Biden administration.
“This catastrophe was a result of Sleepy Joe Biden’s totally botched withdrawal from the country, which left our wonderful servicemen and women defenseless, and allowed the Taliban to free thousands of bloodthirsty terrorists and criminals held at Bagram Prison,” the president posted on social media Wednesday. “This was one of the greatest atrocities in the history of our nation, and we can never forget that it was the result of the sheer incompetence of Joe Biden and the Democrats who were in charge.”
During the award ceremony at the Pentagon, Hegseth announced that the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel is ongoing and “by the end of this calendar year, we’ll have a full report to provide.”
