WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has moved to upgrade military honors for three Marines who were on duty during the Abbey Gate bombing, accusing the Biden administration of withholding full recognition to sidestep “uncomfortable political truths.”
The announcement came during a Pentagon ceremony marking five years since the deadly Kabul airport attack, when a suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 civilians amid the chaotic August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“For half a decade, this building allowed bureaucratic caution, or maybe politics, to stand in the way of proper recognition,” Hegseth said, referring to the Marines whose awards were upgraded.
The Afghanistan evacuation under then-President Joe Biden drew intense scrutiny after the rushed and deadly operation left U.S. forces struggling to manage massive crowds of Afghans and others desperate to flee the country as the Taliban seized control.
Members of Congress, service members and relatives of those killed at Abbey Gate were among the loudest critics of Biden’s handling of the withdrawal.
Speaking at Wednesday’s anniversary observance, Hegseth argued that failing to fully honor troops who served on the front lines sends the wrong message. “A military that downplays its frontline heroes to avoid uncomfortable political truths only projects weakness,” he said.
He also faulted leaders in Washington for what he described as a lack of resolve, saying they had “failed to match that frontline courage with administrative backbone” by reducing the original award recommendations submitted for the Marines.
“The world watches how we treat our heroes,” Hegseth said.
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.
