House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. hosted a Gold Medal ceremony for the 13 U.S. service members killed at Abbey Gate during the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Johnson posthumously presented the Gold Medal, Congress’ highest honor, to the 13 fallen Americans who were killed during the August 2021 ISIS-K suicide bombing at the Kabul Airport.
He opened the ceremony on Tuesday by naming the fallen and apologizing to their families.
The 13 U.S. service members killed at Abbey Gate were: Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, Navy Petty Officer Third Class Maxton W. Soviak, and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss.
‘Our nation owes a profound debt of gratitude to these service members and those here today who were with them in Kabul. We also owe them something deeper, and that is an apology to the families who are here. I know many of you have yet to hear these words, so I will say them. We are sorry,’ Johnson said in opening remarks. ‘The United States government should have done everything to protect our troops. Those fallen and wounded at Abbey gate deserved our best efforts, and the families who have been left to pick up the pieces continue to deserve transparency and appreciation and recognition to you and the families who are not here. I can promise you this you are not alone in shouldering the burdens from that day. And although we can never fully measure your loss, we can and we must memorialize the ultimate sacrifice that was paid.’
Coral Doolittle, the mother of Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, closed the ceremony with a plea to Americans on behalf of the families of the 13 fallen: ‘Say their names. Speak their names and tell their stories.’
‘We are honored to stand here today, receiving this recognition on behalf of the 13 who gave their lives. As their parents, our grief never truly ends,’ she said. ‘It changes, it transforms, but it remains with us always. A big part of us died with our children on Aug. 26, 2021. We want everybody to know the ceremonies like this provide a small but meaningful breath of relief in our ongoing journey of grief, reminding us that we raised the best and brightest for this country. We deeply appreciate the efforts of Congress and the Speaker of the House for making this moment possible.’
In his remarks, Jeffries said with the congressional Gold Medal, ‘we reverently honor 13 patriots who have fallen in a war zone with tremendous valor.’
‘The 13 heroes we are honoring here today represent the best of America. They were beloved sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, spouses and friends who knew the dangers of the mission but nevertheless answered the call to serve, risking their own safety for that of our fellow Americans, our allies and our Afghan partners. They defended freedom and democracy until their last breath. They held the gate,’ Jeffries said. ‘The Gold Medal we are presenting today is the highest honor that can be conferred by the United States Congress. But no honor can truly repay the incredible sacrifice made by our fallen to the families here.’
‘This Congressional Gold Medal also represents our ironclad promise to you. We have not forgotten your pain. We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice your loved ones have made, and our gratitude will be eternal,’ he said. ‘May the memory of these children of God, defenders of peace and defenders of liberty continue to inspire us all to protect freedom and democracy here at home and throughout the world, as they valiantly did.’
House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., recognized that the 13 U.S. service members killed ‘bound up the wounds of a war that had spanned their entire lives.’
‘In an instant, 13 young Americans from every corner of our country were bonded forever. In an instant, their heroic service became an ultimate and eternal sacrifice,’ McConnell said, after reading personal details about how each of the fallen are remembered by their families. ‘Today, the name Abbey Gate carries a heavy toll of anger, of confusion and unspeakable grief. But we declare here today, with the highest honor in Congress, and bestow that deep in the hearts of a grateful nation, those two words will forever stand for bravery, the bravery of your sons and daughters and our heroes. ‘
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., pointed out how some of the 13 U.S. service members killed at Abbey Gate ‘were even younger than the war in Afghanistan itself.’
‘But to the citizens desperately trying to escape the Taliban’s rule through Abbey Gate on that fateful day, these 13 Americans were something more heroes. Guardians, saviors that were fighting for a cause far bigger than themselves, to deliver freedom to those who otherwise might never, never have known it again,’ Schumer said. ‘As we remember the 13 fallen heroes, we likewise remember every American who served in Afghanistan, including the 2,400 killed, the over 20,000 wounded, and the hundreds of thousands more who wore the uniform.’
‘Tomorrow, we honor the anniversary of September 11th, a day when we rededicate ourselves to that sacred promise. Never forget,’ Schumer said. ‘Well, that is what this morning’s ceremony is all about. We will never forget the sacrifice of the fallen 13 service members. It now falls on us to all of us gathered here under the dome of Lady Liberty to ensure the sacrifices of all our servicemen were not in vain.’
The attack also left roughly 170 Afghans dead. Tuesday’s ceremony comes two days after Rep. Mike McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released a scathing 350-page report that took a fine-toothed comb to the military’s 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal and highlighted areas of serious mismanagement.
The Republican-led report opens by harkening back to President Biden’s urgency to withdraw from the Vietnam War as a senator in the 1970s. That, along with the Afghanistan withdrawal, demonstrates a ‘pattern of callous foreign policy positions and readiness to abandon strategic partners,’ according to the report.
The report also disputed Biden’s assertion that his hands were tied to the Doha agreement former President Trump had made with the Taliban establishing a deadline for U.S. withdrawal for the summer of 2021, and it revealed how state officials had no plan for getting Americans and allies out while there were still troops there to protect them.
On the three-year anniversary of the attack last month, Trump joined the families of the slain 13 U.S. service members at Arlington National Cemetery.
Biden and Vice President Harris were absent. Though they released written statements listing the names of the 13 fallen that day, neither Biden nor Harris spoke publicly on the anniversary.
At the Republican National Convention in July, the Gold Star families took to the stage blasting President Biden for never saying the names of those 13 Americans killed publicly out loud.
Harris later accused Trump of playing politics with the visit to Arlington National Cemetery, but in a series of short videos, eight families said they had invited Trump, and bitterly blasted the Biden-Harris administration over the pullout that left 13 U.S. service members dead three years ago.
The vice president had criticized Trump’s team for taking photographs and videos at a wreath-laying ceremony event. The Army said that an Arlington National Cemetery official was ‘abruptly pushed aside’ while making sure that Trump’s team was ‘made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds.’
The Gold Star families who lost loved ones in the botched Afghanistan withdrawal blasted Harris over her attack on Trump’s visit paying respect to the fallen.
Fox News’ Morgan Phillips, Nicholas Kalman and Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.