Service members killed in Afghanistan honored in Congressional Gold Medal ceremony

Washington — The 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul in 2021 were honored posthumously Tuesday in a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony at the Capitol that came three years after the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson hosted the ceremony and was joined by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, along with family members of those killed in the attack, which took place at the Kabul airport. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest award Congress can bestow.

"Their names are etched into our hearts and now into the history of our nation," Johnson said of the 13 service members before reading aloud each of their names. "Our nation owes a profound debt of gratitude to these service members and those here today who were with them in Kabul."

Jeffries said no award can repay the sacrifices made by the service members, but praised them for defending freedom and democracy "until their last breath."

"With this Congressional Gold Medal, we reverently honor 13 patriots who have fallen in a war zone with tremendous valor," he said. "The 13 heroes we are honoring here today represent the best of America. They were beloved sons and daughters, brothers ad sisters, spouses and friends who knew the dangers of the mission but nevertheless answered the call to service, risking their own safety for that of our fellow Americans, our allies and our Afghan partners."

Schumer called the service members "heroes, guardians, saviors."

"They were fighting for a cause far bigger than themselves to deliver freedom to those who otherwise might never, never have known it again," he said.

Sen. Steve Daines, a Montana Republican, and Rep. Lisa McClain, a Michigan Republican, introduced legislation shortly after the attack to award the service members with Congressional Gold Medals. It passed both chambers in the fall of 2021 and was signed by Mr. Biden that December. Both Daines and McClain participated in the ceremony and delivered brief remarks.

"It is our duty to remember the service, the sacrifice, and the faithfulness of the 13 brave men and women who fell that day but is also our duty to remember their loved ones as well, because in remembering and honoring the memory of the fallen we provide their families comfort," Daines said. "Today is an important step on that journey."

President Biden has faced fierce criticism over the deadly evacuation, which Republicans are highlighting this week. And they've drawn attention to Vice President Kamala Harris' role in the withdrawal as the Democratic presidential nominee is about to take on former President Donald Trump in their first debate Tuesday night. 

Johnson alluded to the Republicans' accusations that Biden administration officials have not been held accountable for their handling of the exit from Afghanistan, saying the families of the fallen service members are owed an apology they have not received.

"To the families who are here, I know many have yet to hear these words, so I will say them: We are sorry," the Louisiana Republican said. "The U.S. 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."

On Monday, Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee released a report on the Afghanistan withdrawal that accused Mr. Biden of ignoring repeated warnings because he "prioritized politics and his personal legacy over America's national security interests." Democrats on the committee said the report was "based on cherry-picked facts, inaccurate characterizations, and pre-existing biases," while pointing to Trump's role in kickstarting the withdrawal process during his administration. 

Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery with family members of the 13 service members last month, and while he was there, a campaign staffer and a cemetery official had a dispute over political activity and photos on the grounds of the national cemetery.

Some, including Harris, viewed the visit was seen as overtly political, but several Gold Star family members defended the former president in videos released after the cemetery visit. And a few family members criticized Harris in a recent Trump campaign ad, in which they thanked Trump for the attention he's paid their families. 

"President Trump has called," one of the family members says during the advertisement. "President Trump shows up."