A somber milestone was marked at the U.S. Capitol as the sacrifice of the 13 American service members killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan was honored along with a reminder as to who shouldered blame for their deaths.
On Aug. 26, 2021, a bomb was detonated near the Abbey Gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan tragically taking the lives of 13 Americans and nearly 200 Afghan civilians.
Through his authority as Speaker of the House, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R) ordered that the flags at the Capitol be flown at half-staff in their honor and stated on X, “Two years ago today, we tragically lost 13 brave servicemen and women in Afghanistan. I have directed the flags that the U.S. Capitol to be lowered to half-staff in honor of these American heroes.”
Two years ago today, we tragically lost 13 brave servicemen and women in Afghanistan. I have directed the flags at the U.S. Capitol to be lowered to half-staff in honor of these American heroes. pic.twitter.com/BTMrRNl5Av
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) August 26, 2023
McCarthy went on to recognize each of the fallen Americans by name listing: Sgt. Johanny Rosairo Pichardo, 25; Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23; Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31; 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 M. Nikoui, 20; Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22 and Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23.
Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25
Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23
Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31
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.… pic.twitter.com/OEmnpozHyB— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) August 26, 2023
Other members of Congress made note of the somber date, including Republican Conference chair New York Rep. Elise Stefanik who pointed to President Joe Biden’s direct responsibility for what happened during the withdrawal.
“Two years ago today, our nation was devastated by the deaths of 13 brave Servicemembers in the deadliest attack on Americans in Afghanistan since 2011, which was a direct result of President Biden’s catastrophic Afghanistan withdrawal,” her statement read. “We will never forget their courageous service and sacrifice on half our great nation. That day, House Republicans vowed that we would hold President Biden and his Administration accountable for their disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Since retaking control of the House, we have delivered on that promise despite the Biden Administration’s efforts to stonewall our investigations. House Republicans remain committed to delivering justice for those 13 brave Servicemembers and all of our Afghanistan veterans.”
Today, we honor the memory of the brave 13 Servicemembers who gave their lives for our country during Joe Biden’s catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Their sacrifice was not in vain, and our nation must never forget their service.
Read my full statement. pic.twitter.com/sAH62tB9st
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) August 26, 2023
The president released his own statement noting the loss as part of the cumulative losses that were incurred over the duration of America’s presence in Afghanistan, “We will forever honor the memory of the 13 service members who were stolen far too soon from their families, loved ones, and brothers- and sisters-in-arms, while performing a noble mission on behalf of our nation. We can never repay the incredible sacrifice of any of the 2,461 U.S. service members who lost their lives over two decades of war in Afghanistan or the 20,744 who were wounded. But we will never fail to honor our sacred obligation to our service members and veterans, as well as their families, caregivers, and survivors.”
“Today, Jill and I remember and mourn these 13 brave American service members and the more than 100 innocent Afghan civilians who were killed in the horrific terrorist attack at Abbey Gate,” the statement continued. “Many more were injured and will carry the impacts of their wounds and the horrors of that day for the rest of their lives. We pray for the families of our fallen warriors. We grieve with them, we honor them, and we will always continue to support them.”
Meanwhile, on Friday, Mark Schmitz, the Gold Star father of the late LCpl. Schmitz joined Fox News’ “The Story” to express how he felt about the president’s personal responsibility for the deaths at Abbey Gate.
“There were so many incredible mistakes made during this entire situation, starting with Bagram,” he told host Martha MacCallum. “The fact that I sat there and listened to Biden boast about this being a success, the only [thing] he said right there was the bravery of our men and women that were over there, they were tasked with something completely impossible.”
“The advisers were telling Biden not to do what he was going to do,” detailed Schmitz.
(Video: Fox News)
“He flat-out ignored it, simply for, I believe that September 11 original date that he wanted to have as the deadline and moved it up to the 31st. And then turns around and has the audacity to blame [former President Donald] Trump for everything,” he added. “It’s just — it’s disgusting.”
“There’s been absolutely no one who’s taken responsibility for any of the bad decisions that were made,” the Gold Star father expressed. “And that starts at the very top and goes all the way down the list.”
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