Trump Pays Tribute To Service Members Killed In Afghanistan On 3-Year Anniversary

August 26, 2024

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump lays a wreath alongside Marine Corps Lance Corporal Kelsey Reinhart (Ret.), who was wounded in the Abbey Gate bombing, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on August 26, 2024. Monday marks the third anniversary of the suicide bombing that took place at Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 26, 2021, killing 13 U.S. soldiers. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Avril Elfi
Monday, August 26, 2024 11:03 AM

Former President Donald Trump paid tribute to the 13 service members who died during America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago.

President Trump met with family members and loved ones of fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday.

August 26^NumberOn January 14, 2021, ISIS-K suicide bomber Abdul Rahman al-Logari detonated an explosive vest at the Abiy Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport, killing 13 U.S. soldiers and about 200 others.

President Joe Biden released a brief statement about the fallen soldiers, but the White House and administration have not scheduled any events as Biden is vacationing at his Delaware beach house.

“These 13 Americans, and so many more who were wounded, were patriots in the finest sense of the word,” Biden said. “Some were born the year the war in Afghanistan began; others were on their second or third deployment. But all raised their hands for a cause bigger than themselves, risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, allies and partners in Afghanistan. They embodied the very best of our country: bravery, commitment and selflessness. And we owe them and their families a sacred debt that we can never fully repay, but will never stop working to repay.”

Vice President Kamala Harris also released a statement, but she also said she had no plans to hold a memorial for the slain soldiers.

“As I said, President Biden made the courageous and right decision to end America’s longest war,” Harris said Monday. “Over the past three years, our administration has demonstrated that we can take out terrorists, including the leaders of al Qaeda. [sic] “There is no way the United States can fight ISIS without putting our troops into combat zones. I will not hesitate to take any action necessary to counter the terrorist threat and protect the American people and our homeland.”

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has continued to criticize Biden for his handling of the withdrawal, with Trump advisers sharply criticizing him for refraining from honoring the troops in a formal ceremony.

Trump adviser Brian Hughes New York Post The statement said the anniversary was a reminder of “Harris and Biden’s failure to protect our nation’s standing in the world and the cost of that failure.” “Harris proudly declared that she was the only person in the room when she and Biden orchestrated a botched withdrawal that cost the lives of Americans and our allies.”

Trump has previously spoken with and held events with the families of Gold Star recipients, and at last month’s Republican National Convention, many of their families, including Christy Shamblin, took to the stage to praise Trump for his handling of the tragedy.

“Joe Biden has refused to acknowledge their sacrifice, but Donald Trump spent six hours with us in Bedminster,” Shamblin, the mother-in-law of Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee, said in Milwaukee.