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Two years ago, a suicide bomber tore through the streets outside Kabul International Airport and killed 13 US service members.
The attack marked the catastrophic end to 20 years of US involvement in Afghanistan and became one of the darkest days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
No Americans had been killed in the 18 months before the fateful events of August 26, 2021. Now 13 families would welcome their sons and daughters home in flag-draped coffins.
Speaking two years later, relatives of the fallen servicemen said their deaths were unnecessary and accused Biden of ignoring multiple requests to meet with them.
They are also demanding that the president come forward and finally admit the flaws in the failed takedown that tore their lives apart.
Christy Shamblin, the mother-in-law of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, who died in the bombing, told DailyMail.com the past two years had been “very painful”.
“One of the most difficult aspects was being largely ignored by the administration and elected officials,” she explained.
She says she’s working to get a “glimpse of hope” to actually “get some truth to the circumstances of their deaths.”
The service for the fallen Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee in July 2023. The families of US military personnel killed in the deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan are holding the Biden administration to account nearly two years later – demanding that the president “admit the flaws” of the disastrous evacuation.
Hunter Lopez, 22, was a Marine among 13 US service members killed in a deadly suicide bombing at Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
“That’s what’s important to us to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” Shamblin continued.
“I don’t want to see another family or another member of the military having to go through the same thing.”
She told DailyMail.com that the only time the Biden administration contacted her was during a dignified transfer from Dover Air Force Base.
President made the unexpected trip to Delaware as the coffins of the 13 servicemen killed in the attack were brought back to the United States within days of the bombing.
But he was criticized for appearing to be looking at his watch mere seconds after the salute honoring the return of their remians.
Alicia and Herman Lopez, the parents of Cpl. Hunter Lopez told DailyMail.com they have never been personally contacted by administration officials except seeing them in Dover.
“We got a certificate or a letter or something from Biden saying they were sorry for our loss, but that was it,” they said.
Shamblin said she and other Gold Star families had “recently” reached out to ask President Biden to meet with them.
“We haven’t heard anything. We just haven’t received anything in response,” she said.
Shamblin said she would like the administration to acknowledge that the pullout “was not a success, that there were flaws.”
“I would love to sit down with President Biden and ask him to describe the successes.”
Shamblin sees “moments of success” in rescuing women and children, but that comes from the armed forces, she said.
“These successes belong to them. I don’t see where the administration has had success, and I would like to hear their perspective.
Nicole was “amazing” and was “widely known to be a very enthusiastic and supportive partner,” Shamblin said.
She had a very uplifting spirit for everyone around her, and many people miss her “absence every day”.
The Gold Star families hope meeting with Biden and other military leaders will ensure the tragedy never happens again.
Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee died in the bombing in August 2021
Christy Shamblin said she and other Gold Star families ‘recently’ reached out to ask President Biden to meet with them, but he didn’t respond
While being in the military is dangerous, it “doesn’t have to be a reckless or unnecessary loss,” Herman Lopez said.
“It is not over because these are things that could potentially affect the decision makers responsible for ensuring the safety of our military in our country,” he continued.
“And so if these people aren’t able or able to make the right decisions or if their hands are tied or if they’re not able, then you know, that needs to be resolved so that our country is safe and that the other members of our military are not in unnecessary danger.
Shamblin added that she hopes to be able to “sleep easy” knowing that troops in the future will not be unnecessarily endangered.
“I hope I can sleep easy knowing that the next time we send our armed forces into a humanitarian crisis and evacuation, there will be no needless killings of our armed forces because of our own mistakes,” he said. Shamblin.
The Lopez family say they are “still looking for answers” two years later.
They are still waiting to retrieve their son’s cell phone from the Pentagon along with his other personal items.
Their other son is still in the military and the Lopez family respects their rigorous processes and procedures, but the information they have received so far is very “limited”.
Hunter loved to play chess and was an extremely “engaged” and good child, his parents say.
He was a fun, laid back guy who loved Star Wars and deeply enjoyed being a Marine and reading about military history and tactics.
Hunter planned to join the sheriff’s department like his parents when he left the military.
The Americans killed in the explosion were: (left to right, starting with the top row) Cpl. Daegan W. Page – Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo – Sgt. Darin T. Hoover – Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza – Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum – Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui – Cpl. Hunter Lopez – Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz – Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss – Cap. Humberto A. Sanchez – Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak – Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola – Sgt. Nicole L. Gee
Last month, during a congressional hearing on what went wrong with the pullout, family members were asked if the Biden administration had appropriated the botched exit.
They shook their heads in unison for a powerful moment.
A handful of Gold Star families will be back on Capitol Hill next week.
They are participating in a roundtable hosted by Speaker of the House of Foreign Affairs Michael McCaul, R-Texas.
Christy Shamblin will be there next week to keep her daughter’s memory alive and get more of the answers she wants from the administration.
On Saturday, Biden released a statement about the families of the 13 victims of the attack.
“We will forever honor the memory of the 13 service members who were stolen far too soon from their families, loved ones and brothers and sisters in arms, while carrying out a noble mission on behalf of our nation,” he said. -he declares.
“We will never be able to pay tribute to the incredible sacrifice of the 2,461 American military personnel who lost their lives during two decades of war in Afghanistan or the 20,744 injured.
“But we will never fail to honor our sacred obligation to our service members and veterans, as well as their families, caregivers and survivors.” Today, Jill and I remember and mourn those 13 brave American servicemen and over 100 innocent Afghan civilians who were killed in the horrific Abbey Gate terrorist attack.
“Many more were injured and will carry the consequences of their injuries and the horrors of that day for the rest of their lives. We pray for the families of our fallen warriors. We mourn them, we honor them and we will always continue to support them.