House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. are hosting a Gold Medal ceremony for the 13 U.S. service members killed at Abbey Gate during the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Johnson is expected to posthumously present 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."
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 belove 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. "
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, Trump joined the families of the slain 13 U.S. service members at Arlington National Cemetery.
Biden and Vice President Harris were absent, and though they released statements that day, did not publicly name the 13 fallen.
Harris later accused Trump of playing politics with the visit, 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 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.
