(PatriotWise.com) — Last Monday, California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa held a Gold Star forum featuring some of the family members of the 13 service members who were killed in the Abbey Gate suicide bombing in Kabul during the failed withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in 2021.
In their testimony, the family members recounted their efforts to get answers from the Biden administration, with some saying they were betrayed and misled by administration officials.
One Gold Star father, Darin Hoover, the father of Marine Staff Sgt. Darin T. Cooper, directed his remarks to specific administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Gen. Mark Milley, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, demanding they “resign immediately.”
Hoover also sent a direct appeal to President Biden, telling him to “be a grown-ass man” and admit his role in the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.
Kelly Barnett, the mother of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, was the first to speak at Monday’s forum. She accused administration officials of lying to her about how her son died, saying she was told that he “died on impact.” However, eyewitnesses later told her that Hoover “lived for a little while.”
Barnett blasted the administration for the lies, incomplete and incorrect reports, saying the administration showed “total disrespect.”
Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee’s mother, Christy Shamblin, blasted the administration for claiming the evacuation in Kabul was a “success,” calling it a “knife in the heart for our families.”
Marine Lance Corporal Dylan Merola’s mother, Cheryl Rex, recounted meeting President Biden at Dover when her son’s casket arrived in the US.
According to Rex, Biden told her that he and Jill knew how she felt since their son Beau also returned home in a flag-draped casket.
Rex described her frustration and rage over the president lying to her about Beau Biden’s death when she had just lost her son. She noted that, unlike her son, Beau Biden died surrounded by his family.
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