As the nation marked the third anniversary of the tragic Abbey Gate bombing on August 26, 2024, former President Donald Trump paid his respects to the 13 service members who lost their lives during the ill-fated Afghanistan withdrawal under the Biden-Harris administration in 2021.
In stark contrast, President Joe Biden's schedule for the day was noticeably sparse, with only a briefing listed, while Vice President Kamala Harris was conspicuously absent from the commemorative event.
According to The Post Millennial, footage from the solemn ceremony showed Trump bending down to lay a wreath on the grave of Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss, while simultaneously speaking to the bereaved family over the phone. Trump honored the memory of the fallen soldiers by placing wreaths on their graves at Arlington National Cemetery, a poignant reminder of the lives lost three years ago.
In a subsequent statement, Trump lamented the lack of discourse surrounding the event, stating, "It is not talked about anymore." He went on to assert that the 13 soldiers would still be alive if Biden had not been president during the withdrawal. Trump, who had initially set the date for the withdrawal, criticized Biden's lack of preparation, which not only resulted in the loss of American lives but also left behind millions of dollars' worth of US military equipment. The Taliban, now in control of Afghanistan, recently flaunted this equipment in a military parade.
Meanwhile, a press release from Harris' team confirmed her absence from the ceremony, stating, "The Vice President will be in Washington, DC where she will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff. These meetings will be closed press." There was no mention of the anniversary in the release.
The Biden White House's schedule was also devoid of any commemorative events, save for an out-of-town pool call at 10 am, coinciding with the Arlington Cemetery event. The Gold Star families of the fallen soldiers have previously expressed their disappointment with the Biden-Harris administration's dismissive response to the incident.
Darin Hoover, father of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, shared his grievances with The Post Millennial, "We'd like to change with the way things are handled, so that there's not a family who loses their child under the same circumstances as we did ... We just got to keep going along and pushing until we get those changes made."
Three years ago, when Harris was questioned about Americans in Afghanistan, she laughed off a reporter's query, saying, "Hold on, hold on, slow down everybody (laughter) I want to talk about two things. First Afghanistan." This response, along with Biden's infamous act of checking his watch multiple times as the fallen soldiers' bodies were returned home, has been seen by many as indicative of the administration's lackadaisical approach to the botched withdrawal.
Despite attempts by fact-checkers to debunk the claim that Biden checked his watch, the photographs from that day tell a different story. Biden's subsequent claim that no military members died under his administration during a June debate with Trump only added to the controversy. The aunt of Sgt. Nicole L. Gee told TPM that she was not surprised when Biden attempted to distort his record.
The other fallen military members from the Abbey Gate bombing were Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Cpl. Humberto "Bert" Sanchez, Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Cpl. Daegan W. Page, Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, Lance Cpl. Kareem Mae'Lee Grant Nikoui, and Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak. Their sacrifice, along with those of Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, and Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, will forever be remembered by a nation in mourning.
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