Lawmakers held a commemoration at the Capitol on Tuesday to award the Congressional Gold Medal to each of the 13 U.S. service members killed in the 2021 Abbey Gate attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Speaker Mike Johnson presented the medals, which represent the highest award Congress can bestow, and apologized to the families of each of the service members who were killed during an ISIS-K suicide bombing amid the chaos of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in late August, 2021.
“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.”
The Abbey Gate suicide attack, which also left 175 civilians dead, has come to symbolize the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after over 20 years since American and coalition forces invaded the country in response to 9/11.
Congressional Republicans released a report on Sunday based on their investigation of the precipitous exit that assigns much of the blame to the Biden administration, particularly the State Department, which was “willfully blind” to warnings about the deteriorating security situation on the ground in Kabul ahead of the emergency evacuation.
Several other lawmakers joined Johnson in praising the sacrifice of the fallen service members during the Tuesday ceremony.
“We reverently honor the 13 patriots who have fallen in a war zone with tremendous valor,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., NY).
“In an instant, their heroic service became an ultimate and eternal sacrifice,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.).
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., NY) declared, “It now falls on us…to ensure the sacrifices of all our service members were not in vain.”
Coral Doolittle, mother of the late Humberto “Bert” Sanchez, gave a short speech regarding the bravery and honor that the fallen displayed on that day. “Their love for this country was greater than the threats it faced,” she said. “A big part of us dies with our children.”