Five years after Joe Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, three Marines who risked their lives during the Abbey Gate bombings are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
To shirk accountability, the Biden Pentagon intentionally reduced the awards these heroes received at the time.
But, on Wednesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth righted the wrongs of the past and upgraded their valor awards.
Watch the moment here:
JUST IN: In a truly incredible moment, SecWar Pete Hegseth just PERSONALLY gave upgraded valor awards to US Marines who were DOWNGRADED by the Biden admin after they ran into danger in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombings
Biden tried HIDING his failure by throwing THEM under the bus.…
pic.twitter.com/rr36r3AEas
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh)
August 26, 2026
JUST IN: In a truly incredible moment, SecWar Pete Hegseth just PERSONALLY gave upgraded valor awards to US Marines who were DOWNGRADED by the Biden admin after they ran into danger in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombings
Biden tried HIDING his failure by throwing THEM under the bus.
Hegseth just gave them what they’re OWED
God bless these patriots who ran TOWARD danger
The Department of War shared some additional photos:
For five years, the records of Gunnery Sergeant Jonathan Eby, Lance Corporal Jordan Houston and Corporal Michael Gretzon did not accurately reflect their heroism during the Abbey Gate terrorist attack.
These men put their lives on the line to save others. Today, we made it…
pic.twitter.com/gSDflEJGAa
— Department of War
(@DeptofWar)
August 26, 2026
As you probably remember, in 2021, thirteen U.S. service members lost their lives during a suicide bomber attack at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan.
During that attack, three Marines exhibited incredible displays of heroism, running back into the danger to help their fellow soldiers.
A
War Department press release shared more background:
The upgrade was as a result of their heroic actions immediately following the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bomber attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, at then-Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate, which killed 13 service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians.
Hegseth presented the Bronze Star Medal with Valor to retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby, who rallied his remaining forces following the blast and established security before working to evacuate injured Marines. He also presented the Bronze Star Medal with Valor to retired Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston, who helped multiple Marines get to safety amid gunfire and clouds of tear gas following the blast, despite having sustained his own injuries. Finally, he presented the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor to retired Marine Corps Cpl. Michael Gretzon, who continued to conduct crowd control from an exposed position following the explosion.
At the time, the three Marines were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines.
“These three Marines embody a timeless truth written in the book of Proverbs: ‘The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.’ On that chaotic day, you men were as bold as lions,” Hegseth told the awardees at the outset of his remarks.
“When the wicked sought to sow terror, these men stood as lions at the gate — bold in their purpose, fierce in their resolve and unbreakable in their courage,” he continued.
God Bless these American heroes! Their awards are well-deserved.
Watch Secretary Hegseth’s remarks during Wednesday’s ceremony here:
JUST IN: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth honors the 3 Marines who stood on the frontlines during the chaotic withdrawal at Kabul's Abbey Gate five years ago.
Gunnery Sergeant Jonathan Eby
Corporal Michael Gretzon
Lance Corporal Jordan Houston
"We're here to look you in the eye…
pic.twitter.com/wFufsD0Ure
— Fox News (@FoxNews)
August 26, 2026
JUST IN: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth honors the 3 Marines who stood on the frontlines during the chaotic withdrawal at Kabul’s Abbey Gate five years ago.
Gunnery Sergeant Jonathan Eby
Corporal Michael Gretzon
Lance Corporal Jordan Houston
“We’re here to look you in the eye and to deliver the recognition you earned five years ago because of what you did at Abbey Gate was not just a display of exceptional tactical skill and bravery. It was the very definition of the warrior spirit that we’re reviving here.”
“They stood in the direct blast zone with minimal cover, fully aware of an imminent suicide threat.”
“Yet they stayed on that line because they knew that their brothers in arms and thousands of innocents depended on them.”
After stepping into office, Secretary Hegseth directed the Pentagon to review Biden’s botched U.S. exit from Afghanistan.
As part of that review, it was discovered that the awards these warriors initially received did not line up with the heroic actions they took.
In addition, the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel uncovered classified documents on the Kabul airport attack that had been deliberately hidden away, never to see the light of day.
The Hill has more:
The Pentagon’s Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel earlier this year recommended the upgraded awards over the original awards which “did not reflect” the danger the Abbey Gate location posed and the service members’ heroic actions.
Hegseth last year ordered a review into the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan as the country fell to Taliban control. The Trump administration has placed blame at the feet of former President Joe Biden for the chaotic and deadly evacuation of American citizens and Afghans who had aided the U.S. government in the country’s nearly 20-year war.
Most assessments, however, have concluded blame is shared between President Trump and Biden — Trump for signing a 2020 deal with the Taliban to withdraw all American forces and Biden for announcing he would proceed with the pullout, setting off panic as Afghan forces abandoned their posts, allowing the Taliban to sweep into Kabul.
Hegseth took Wednesday’s ceremony to bash the prior administration for allowing “bureaucratic caution, or maybe politics, to stand in the way of proper recognition.”
“A military that downplays its frontline heroes to avoid uncomfortable political truths only projects weakness,” Hegseth said. “For too long, leadership in this capital city failed to match that frontline courage with administrative backbone, inappropriately downgrading the original award submissions that these men rightfully deserved,” he said of the Marines.
Earlier on Wednesday, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced that classified documents had been discovered during a review of the Kabul airport attack, which he claimed were “stashed and hidden away in safes where they would not be found.”
Parnell, who is chairman of the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel, did not provide details about the contents of the newly discovered papers, only saying that they were “highly relevant classified documents” and “material that should have been disclosed.”
After his team reviewed the documents “it became clear why someone would try to hide them,” he added.
The Biden administration has a lot to answer for.
Secretary Hegseth also honored the thirteen service members who were killed in the chaotic, rushed withdrawal in a post on X:
As our Nation marks five years since the attack at Abbey Gate, we honor the memory of the thirteen service members who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Their memory will forever live in the heart of a grateful nation.
pic.twitter.com/UH1XoDBTO9
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar)
August 26, 2026
Never forget.
And, remember to keep all of our troops in your prayers.
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[ H/T WLT Report ]
