Marking the third anniversary of the tragedy, a Gold Star mom revealed what former President Donald Trump “reminded” her after visiting the grave of her son killed amid the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Drawing perhaps the starkest contrast to date between the incumbent absentee President Joe Biden, his feckless supplanter Vice President Kamala Harris, and Trump, the GOP leader embodied honor Monday as he participated in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
After the former president paid tribute to the 13 fallen service members killed on Aug. 26, 2021, when an extremist detonated a bomb outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Gold Star mother of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss joined “America Reports” on Fox News and revealed what Trump had told her.
“He called me right after that,” Paula Knauss Selph told co-anchor Sandra Smith after a video showed the Republican nominee laying flowers at her son’s grave, “and he expressed his sorrow at the fact that we would have to do that.”
“He reminded me that there are good leaders in our nation who will step up when the time comes — we will all be grateful when the change of hand happens,” she added.
Today marks 3 years since the Abbey Gate terror attack. @SandraSmithFox talks with Paula Knauss Selph, Gold Star Mom, who lost her son, Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Christian Knauss when he was killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. #AmericaReports pic.twitter.com/0Nh6faYqVv
— America Reports (@AmericaRpts) August 26, 2024
As was previously reported, Trump’s attendance at the ceremony was notably different from Biden’s decision to relax on the beach nearly three years after disgracefully checking his watch during the dignified transfer of the fallen.
In addition to 23-year-old Knauss, they included: Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, 31; Sgt. Johanny Rosairo Pichardo, 25; Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23; Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22; Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23; Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22; Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20; Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20; Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20; Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20; Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, and Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, along with nearly 200 Afghan civilians.
“It’s the lack of accountability that has really upset the nation on this,” said Selph as a statement was released by Harris’ team that leveraged the tragedy into a pitch for her campaign that claimed, “I will never hesitate to take whatever action necessary to counter terrorist threats and protect the American people and the homeland.”
“It is the lack of empathy and sympathy for a situation that could have easily been — at least say I’m sorry. At least apologize for a lack of leadership,” the Gold Star mother added.
She further echoed Trump who concluded foreign leaders no longer “respect us” with a mention of Russian aggression against Ukraine and the terror attack from Hamas against Israel.
“He’s right. We lost a lot of credibility in our nation and in our world powers. We’ve lost it. And the only way we will gain it back is if we become a world power again,” Selph told Smith.
When presented with remarks from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) who had announced that the families would be presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, the mother expressed, “It brings honor to our family. It brings honor to the 13 families. It brings honor to our nation, that we will not forget. And on this day in particular, we are all grieving over something that should have never, ever happened the way it did.”
Next month, we will honor the 13 brave servicemembers who died in the Abbey Gate terrorist attack with the Congressional Gold Medal.
America owes these heroes and their families an eternal debt of gratitude and Congress has a duty to ensure their sacrifices are never forgotten. pic.twitter.com/02uxJ3n2nF
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) August 26, 2024
Before the interview ended, Selph said in parting, “Those 13 represent the many who are out there that are willing to risk their lives also. So hang in there. We move forward together.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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