Yesterday, the Gold Star families of the 13 U.S. service members killed in Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal shared their heartbreaking stories at the U.S. Capitol around the two-year anniversary of the tragedy.
They had a few things to say to Joe Biden.
- “I would like to know why the red flags were ignored,” said Christy Shamblin, mother-in-law to fallen Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee.
- “I want them all to be grown men — like our son was. Come forward, admit those mistakes, rectify the problem. We owe it to our sons and daughters that will come up through the military to know that their leadership has their back,” said Darin Hoover, dad to fallen Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover.
- “I, too, want accountability from the executive office,” said Paula Knauss Selph, mom to fallen Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.
- “Tell the truth — all the truth — to all of us, or get out of the way,” says Herman Lopez, dad to Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez.
- “They need to have 13 of these pictures in the Rose Garden at the White House and be honored by this administration. Period,” said Steve Nikoui, dad to fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui.
- “Say their names. They’ve earned it,” said Greg Page, dad to fallen Marine Cpl. Daegan Page.
- “We deserve to know the truth and not ask for the truth — and I want to hear Biden saying our kids’ names,” said Coral Briseno, mom to fallen Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez.
- “This is not a game – this cost our kids their lives. It changed 13 families and a nation of veterans forever … If he can’t be a leader, step aside and let somebody else do it,” said Mark Schmitz, dad to fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz.
Each shared a common theme: a painful demand for accountability from the Biden administration. In the aftermath of the catastrophic withdrawal, no cabinet secretary, general, bureaucrat, or political appointee was fired, demoted, or re-assigned — and nobody took responsibility. Meanwhile, Biden still thinks he was “right” — despite warnings from officials on the ground of an imminent disaster.
Biden hasn’t even said the names of the fallen service members out loud in public — and he probably never will.
In the words of one Gold Star dad: “Our sons and daughters had more courage in their little fingers than [Biden] has shown while he’s been in office.”
