Five years after a suicide bombing killed 13 U.S. service members and round 170 civilians at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Pentagon upgraded the awards of three Marines who survived the blast after which labored to avoid wasting others in its rapid aftermath.
The service members, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, have been at the then-Hamid Karzai International Airport as America’s decades-long battle in Afghanistan drew to a tumultuous shut. Outside of the gate, the place monumental crowds had frantically gathered in hopes of a secure evacuation from the nation, an Islamic State bomber detonated the explosives on his physique.
During a Wednesday ceremony at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presented the Bronze Star Medal with Valor to retired Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby and retired Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor to retired Cpl. Michael Gretzon.
Eby secured the world earlier than serving to to evacuate wounded Marines, Houston — who was injured himself — assisted others to security regardless of gunfire and tear fuel and Gretzon helped management the group from a weak place after the blast, in line with the division.
Hegseth used biblical language when describing the service members’ actions. “These three Marines embody a timeless truth written in the book of Proverbs: ‘The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.’ On that chaotic day, you men were as bold as lions,” he mentioned, including, “When the wicked sought to sow terror, these men stood as lions at the gate — bold in their purpose, fierce in their resolve and unbreakable in their courage.”
The bombing has been a centerpiece of the Trump administration’s criticism of former President Biden’s dealing with of the withdrawal. Under the Trump administration, the Pentagon established a evaluate panel to analyze the bombing, chaired by Sean Parnell, the division’s chief spokesperson. In an announcement on X, Parnell mentioned that the panel had found “highly relevant classified documents — material that should have been disclosed — stashed and hidden away in safes where they would not be found.”
He didn’t elaborate on the content material of these paperwork or present a date for their launch.
A Central Command evaluate into the attack, (*3*) in 2024, discovered that the attack was not preventable, contradicting claims from service members who mentioned that they had seen the doable bomber however couldn’t get approval to take motion. The evaluate discovered that the attacker didn’t match the service members’ descriptions of a “bald man in black.”
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has lined battle the world over, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.