Secretary Hegseth Awards Marines for Abbey Gate Bombing Rescue, Amid Controversy
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth upgraded valor awards Wednesday for three Marines who risked their lives to save others during the deadly Abbey Gate bombing, saying their original award submissions were "inappropriately" downgraded after one of the darkest days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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The HillHegseth upgrades medals of three Marines who survived Afghanistan attack five years ago Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday upgraded the valor awards of three Marines who guarded the Abbey Gate at the Hamid Karzai International Airport when a bomb went off as U.S. service members were evacuating from Afghanistan five years ago. The Marines — Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby, Cpl. Michael Gretzon, Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston —were…
New York PostWASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth upgraded the awards of three Marines who served in the Abbey Gate bombing, blasting the Biden administration for not properly recognizing them in order to “avoid uncomfortable political truths.”
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“For half a decade, this building allowed bureaucratic caution, or maybe politics, to stand in the way of proper recognition,” Hegseth said of the Marines.
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Fox News"For half a decade, this building allowed bureaucratic caution, or maybe politics, to stand in the way of proper recognition," Hegseth said during a Pentagon ceremony marking exactly five years since the Aug. 26, 2021, terrorist attack.
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Then-President Joe Biden was heavily criticized for the deadly and poorly executed American evacuation from Afghanistan. There were insufficient American forces on the ground in Afghanistan to handle the onslaught of desperate civilians trying to escape with them.
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Fox NewsThe Biden administration faced bipartisan backlash for how it handled the withdrawal from Afghanistan amid the Taliban's lightning-fast takeover of the country.
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Hegseth awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for valor to Houston and Eby. Gretzon was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal with “V” device.
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Fox News"Today on this milestone anniversary, we declare that those days are over." Hegseth presented upgraded Bronze Star Medals with "V" devices for valor to Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby and Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston. Cpl. Michael Gretzon received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a "V" device for valor.
3 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 New York Post “A military that downplays its frontline heroes to avoid uncomfortable political truths only projects weakness,” Hegseth said on Wednesday in a ceremony to mark the anniversary.
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02 Fox News "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," Hegseth said.
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03 The Hill Hegseth considering Pentagon chief spokesperson to replace Army secretary Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is considering his chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, to succeed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who is eyeing an exit from the Pentagon in the coming months, two sources familiar with the matter told The Hill.  The Hill previously reported that Parnell, who is also one of Hegseth’s senior advisers, has privately expressed…
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Sources (3)
- nypost
- thehill
- foxnews