Aug. 26 (UPI) — President Joe Biden on Monday recognized the 13 U.S. service members who died from an attack by a suicide bomber at a Kabul Airport gate in the final days of American military presence in Afghanistan three years ago.
“We must never forget that each beloved service member we lost was a human being who left behind entire families and communities. And together, we must never stop striving to be worthy of their ultimate sacrifice,” Biden said in a statement.
“Today, we vow we never will. May God bless each of our fallen heroes. May God bless all those who served and sacrificed. And may He keep them and their families close — today and always.”
The White House named the fallen service members as Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Marine Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Marine Cpl. Daegan W. Page, Marine Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, Marine Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Marine Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Marine Lance Cpl. Dyland R. Merola, Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, Navy Petty Officer Third Class Maxton W. Soviak and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Kauss.
These 13 Americans — and the many more that were wounded– were “patriots in the highest sense,” Biden said.
“Some were born the year the war in Afghanistan started. Some were on their second or third tour. But all raised their hand to serve a cause greater than themselves — risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, allies, and Afghan partners,” he said.
The 2021 terrorist bombing at the airport’s Abbey Gate and nearby hotel killed more than 100 Afghans and marred the United States’ departure from war-torn Afghanistan as the Taliban returned to take control.
The Islamic State-Khorasan Province, a breakaway Afghanistan-based branch of the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The United States completed its evacuation five days later from Kabul Airport, evacuating more than 120,000 people, ending America’s longest war at 20 years.
“Today, our longest war is over. But our commitment to preventing attacks on our homeland — or our people — never will be,” Biden said. “We will continue to deliver justice to terrorists who plot against America — just as we have over the last three years with the leader of al-Qaeda and the global leader of ISIS and we will do so without deploying thousands of American troops to ground wars overseas.”