Trump Administration Honors Heroes of Biden’s Afghanistan Disaster – Abbey Gate

Righting a terrible wrong.

The botched withdrawal of Afghanistan could have been much worse were it not for the heroic fighting of America’s finest. Yesterday marked five years since the attack.

The illegitimate Biden regime downgraded the awards of the fallen to cover up their Abbey Gate failure. The massacre was a direct result of Biden’s incompetence. The Democrat media axis covered it up, of course.

Today, we honor the 13 brave American HEROES who were tragically killed five years ago by evil Jihadi terrorists in Kabul, Afghanistan. This catastrophe was a result of Sleepy Joe Biden’s totally botched Withdrawal from the Country, which left our wonderful Servicemen and women… pic.twitter.com/wQzxnzwCAg

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) August 26, 2026

🚨 NOW: Sec. Hegseth is UPGRADING the valor awards for the Marines who REFUSED to run away from the bombings at Abbey Gate, 5 years ago today

Hegseth revealed today Biden DOWNGRADED their awards to cover up his Abbey Gate failure.

These guys ran BACK INTO DANGER to keep the… pic.twitter.com/vPfydDQWx7

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 26, 2026

President Trump: Today, we honor the 13 brave American HEROES who were tragically killed five years ago by evil Jihadi terrorists in Kabul, Afghanistan. This catastrophe was a result of Sleepy Joe Biden’s totally botched Withdrawal from the Country, which left our wonderful Servicemen and women defenseless, and allowed the Taliban to free thousands of bloodthirsty terrorists and criminals held at Bagram Prison. This was one of the greatest atrocities in the History of our Nation, and we can never forget that it was the result of the sheer incompetence of Joe Biden and the Democrats who were in charge (Truth).

The Department of War just confirmed, they found classified documents related to the Abbey Gate bombing hidden away in a safe.
These documents should have been disclosed under Biden. The families of these 13 heroes deserve to know the truth. https://t.co/OoQ9WlfcAL

— Diane 🇺🇸 America First (@Lowcountry1Girl) August 26, 2026

War Department Upgrades Military Honors to Heroes of Abbey Gate

After a review, it was determined that the heroes were not adequately recognized—perhaps to diminish the magnitude of the calamitous position the Biden administration had left them in. Task and Purpose: The Marine Corps has issued award upgrades to seven Marines who guarded Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate in Kabul when a suicide bomber struck on Aug. 26, 2021, killing 13 service members and about 170 Afghans, defense officials announced on Wednesday (Task and Purpose).

War Secretary Hegseth: Today we’re here to look you in the eye and to deliver the recognition you earned five years ago because what you did at Abbey Gate was not just a display of exceptional tactical skill and bravery. It was the very definition of the warrior spirit that we’re reviving here and that preserves our nation and underpins our national defense. The mission these Marines were given was almost unfathomably unpredictable, difficult, and fraught with an unknown amount of risk, yet known at the same time, which is sort of the worst duality….  By upgrading these awards, we are stating clearly that America’s warriors will be fiercely supported and our military’s lethal edge will not be compromised by desk-bound bureaucracy or lawyers in the cheap seats (Daugherty).

Sean Parnell—Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs, Chief Pentagon Spokesman & Senior Advisor to SECWAR—is heading up a team of veterans who served in Afghanistan. Parnell used the fifth anniversary of the horrific incident to give an update. Parnell: I have the privilege of chairing a team with extensive military service in Afghanistan. These patriots commanded troops, they took fire, they carried the wounded, and they buried their friends. They knew how decisions in Afghanistan became consequences because they are the ones who lived with them. We are conducting a thorough review of what took place in Afghanistan and I’m going to be honest with you about what that’s turning up. The deeper we look, the more there is to look at. We are finding things that we did not expect. Recently, my team recovered highly relevant classified documents, material that should have been disclosed, stashed and hidden away in safes where they would not be found. And after the team reviewed these documents, it became clear why someone tried to hide them. I’m not going to give you a convenient version of the truth, nor will I give you a rushed one. Here is my commitment. We are following the evidence to wherever it leads and to whoever it touches. We’re not accepting incomplete or comfortable answers (Parnell).

More: (Department of War).

God bless these Marines.

They held Abbey Gate on August 26, 2021, standing in the blast zone with almost no cover, knowing an attack was coming, and keeping the evacuation running anyway. Their original awards were later downgraded by the Biden administration. Secretary Hegseth… https://t.co/flBPGwWOWv

— Mark UltraMaga 1A 2A (@MarkUltramaga) August 26, 2026

Secretary of State Rubio: Five years ago today, 13 brave American service members were taken from their families and their country by an Islamic terrorist in Kabul, Afghanistan. We will never forget them, and never again allow our men and women in uniform to be so utterly betrayed (Rubio).

Related:

Fallen 13 Remembered On Anniversary of Deaths in Afghanistan

130 Retired Top Military Officials Call For Austin And Milley To Resign Over Afghanistan

Secretary of Defense Hegseth Announces Comprehensive Review of Catastrophic Afghanistan Withdrawal

DISRESPECT: Biden No-Show At Arlington Cemetery, Only Trump Attends Service Honoring Afghanistan Fallen

Hegseth upgrades awards for three Abbey Gate Marines — claims Biden failed to do so to cover up military failure

By Emily Goodin, NY Post, Aug. 26, 202:

WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth upgraded the awards of three Marines who served in the Abbey Gate bombing, blasting the Biden administration for not properly recognizing them in order to “avoid uncomfortable political truths.”

Hegseth marked the five-year anniversary of the day a suicide bomber killed 13 service members and 170 civilians in an attack on Kabul airport during the flawed August 2021 evacuation with a ceremony at the Pentagon.

“For half a decade, this building allowed bureaucratic caution, or maybe politics, to stand in the way of proper recognition,” Hegseth said of the Marines.

Then-President Joe Biden was heavily criticized for the deadly and poorly executed American evacuation from Afghanistan. There were insufficient American forces on the ground in Afghanistan to handle the onslaught of desperate civilians trying to escape with them.

Lawmakers, military members, and families of the fallen all slammed Biden’s actions.

“A military that downplays its frontline heroes to avoid uncomfortable political truths only projects weakness,” Hegseth said on Wednesday in a ceremony to mark the anniversary.

“For too long, leadership in this capital city failed to match that frontline courage with administrative backbone, inappropriately downgrading the original award submissions that these men rightfully deserved,” he added.

“The world watches how we treat our heroes.”

Three service members lift a child onto a large container, with two soldiers helping from the top and one from below, surrounded by a crowd of people.

He praised the three Marines — Gunnery Sergeant Jonathan Eby, Corporal Michael Gretzon, Lance Corporal Jordan Houston— for holding the line during the chaotic withdrawal, rescuing wounded comrades and keeping the perimeter secure during the bombing.

Their battalion was aiding with security at the airport for evacuating American citizens and Afghan allies.

“They stood in the direct blast zone with minimal cover, fully aware of an imminent suicide threat,” he said.

“Yet they stayed on that line because they knew that their brothers in arms and thousands of innocents depended on them.”

Hegseth awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for valor to Houston and Eby. Gretzon was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal with “V” device.
The Biden administration claimed their hands were tied by the 2020 Doha Agreement negotiated by the Trump administration, which set a withdrawal deadline without leaving a viable transition plan.

Trump, then between White House terms, said at the time that Biden was playing “a new disinformation game” to distract from “their grossly incompetent SURRENDER in Afghanistan.”

“Biden is responsible, no one else!,” he said on social media.

Once he returned to the White House, Trump hosted the families of the fallen service members and facilitated the arrest of Mohammad Sharifullah, identified as being behind the Abbey Gate attack.