Lawmakers on Monday commemorated three years since the United States military withdrew from Afghanistan and remembered the 13 U.S. service members who died in the pullout.
About 170 Afghans were also killed in the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport. The ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced that Congress will posthumously honor the 13 service members next month by presenting their families with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award that Congress can bestow.
“America owes these heroes and their families an eternal debt of gratitude and Congress has a duty to ensure their sacrifices are never forgotten,” Johnson said in a post on X.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery along with family members of some of the 13 U.S. service members who were killed. In addition, many members of Congress published their sentiments.
House Republicans on Monday in a separate statement said that the United States will never forget the brave service members who made the ultimate sacrifice during the deadliest attack on Americans in Afghanistan since 2011.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), who is an Army combat veteran and Bronze Star recipient, said in a press release that the three-year mark is a “harsh reminder of the profound failures and series of mistakes” that happened in the pullout.
“The haunting images of desperate Afghans falling from our aircraft will forever stain our nation’s memory,” Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) wrote in a post on X, adding that the attack was a “preventable disaster” and was the “beginning of America’s diminished respect on the world stage.”
The deadly withdrawal was the “spark that lit the world on fire,” according to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
“Russia invaded Ukraine, Iran-backed Hamas committed unspeakable atrocities in Israel, and China ramped up its aggression,” he wrote.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) honored the life of Jared Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri. He was among the 11 Marines killed in the attack.
“Remembering today Jared Schmitz of Missouri – and the 12 other brave service members lost at Abbey Gate in the Biden-Harris catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Hawley wrote in a post on X.
Some Congressional democrats released statements on the Abbey Gate attack, including Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a member of the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees.
“Our nation can never repay their sacrifice, but we remember them as heroes and honor their service and that of every Afghanistan veteran and their families,” Rep. Crow said in a post on X.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Oh.), a member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, specifically paid tribute to 22-year old Navy Corpsman Maxton William Soviak, a resident from her home state of Ohio, posting his photo on X.
President Joe Biden, in a statement from the White House, listed the names of the service members then wrote:
“These 13 Americans—and the many more that were wounded—were patriots in the highest sense.”
He added: “They embodied the very best of who we are as a nation: brave, committed, selfless. And we owe them and their families a sacred debt we will never be able to fully repay, but will never cease working to fulfill.”
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris wrote in a statement that the 13 service members represent the best of the country and that she is thinking of all the service members who served in America’s longest war.
The Fallen US Service members
Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, from Berlin Heights, Ohio, and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, from Corryton, Tennessee, were killed in the attack.
The 11 Marines who made ultimate sacrifice during the 2021 withdrawal are Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, from Salt Lake City, Utah; Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, from Lawrence, Massachusetts; Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, from Sacramento, California; Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, from Indio, California; Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, from Omaha, Nebraska; Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, from Logansport, Indiana; Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, from Rio Bravo, Texas; Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, from St. Charles, Missouri; Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, from Jackson, Wyoming; Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, from Rancho Cucamonga, California; and Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, from Norco, California.