KABUL — The Pentagon upgraded the military awards of three retired Marines for their actions during the Abbey Gate attack in Kabul. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presided over the award ceremony at the Pentagon on August 26, 2026.

Retired Gunnery Sergeant Jonathan Eby received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device. Retired Lance Corporal Jordan Houston received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device. Retired Corporal Michael Gretzon received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor device.

Eby and Houston were initially approved to receive Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals with combat devices. Gretzon was initially approved to receive a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with a combat device. "For half a decade, this building allowed bureaucratic caution, or maybe politics, to stand in the way of proper recognition," Hegseth said.

Hegseth added that leadership in the capital city failed to match frontline courage with administrative backbone. He stated the original award submissions these men deserved were inappropriately downgraded. "A military that downplays its frontline heroes to avoid uncomfortable political truths only projects weakness," he said.

The defense secretary described the actions of the three Marines during the attack. "They stood in the direct blast zone with minimal cover, fully aware of an imminent suicide threat," he said. "Yet they stayed on that line because they knew that their brothers in arms and thousands of innocents depended on them."

Hegseth characterized their fearless response as the pinnacle of combat heroism. "Fearless response represents the pinnacle of combat heroism. Simply put, valor," he said. The world watches how the United States treats its heroes, according to the defense secretary.

Eby continued screening evacuees after the blast while his platoon commander and half of his platoon were wounded or killed. He took command and rallied forces to reestablish security before working to evacuate the injured. Houston was wounded, concussed, surrounded by gunfire, and engulfed in tear gas during the attack.

Houston disregarded his injuries to pull multiple wounded Marines to safety. Gretzon conducted crowd control from an exposed position to allow for the evacuation of critically wounded individuals. A defense official stated that the initial investigation concluded the attack was not preventable and leaders on the ground followed proper measures.

"The deeper we look, the more there is to look at," Parnell said. Congress established an Afghan War Commission in 2021 to review the conflict and present lessons learned. Retired Marine Corps General Kenneth McKenzie stated that blame for the evacuation outcome lies with political leadership, not the military.

Why It Matters

The upgrade of these awards addresses a five-year delay in recognizing the valor of service members during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Pentagon cited bureaucratic caution and political hesitation as reasons the original submissions were downgraded. This action reflects a broader effort to reassess the administrative handling of the conflict's final days.

The Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel continues to examine the events surrounding the withdrawal. Its findings are expected by the end of the year. The panel's work occurs alongside historical reviews such as the Afghan War Commission established by Congress in 2021.

Timeline

On August 26, 2021, the Abbey Gate attack killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghan civilians. The attack occurred five years prior to the award ceremony, during the final days of the U.S. military's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The 13 U.S. service members killed in the attack were Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, Sgt. Nicole Gee, Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Cpl. Daegan Page, Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Cpl.

Humberto Sanchez, Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, Navy Hospital Corpsman Third Class Maxton Soviak, and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. An ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated an explosive device outside Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Jonathan Eby, Jordan Houston, and Michael Gretzon were outside Abbey Gate when the bomb exploded. Jordan Houston was wounded, concussed, surrounded by gunfire, and engulfed in tear gas during the attack. Jordan Houston disregarded his injuries to pull multiple wounded Marines to safety.

What's New

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated, "A military that downplays its frontline heroes to avoid uncomfortable political truths only projects weakness." Hegseth also stated, "For half a decade, this building allowed bureaucratic caution, or maybe politics, to stand in the way of proper recognition." He further stated, "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 stated, "The world watches how we treat our heroes." He stated, "They stood in the direct blast zone with minimal cover, fully aware of an imminent suicide threat." He stated, "Yet they stayed on that line because they knew that their brothers in arms and thousands of innocents depended on them." The Wall Street Journal documentary "The Path to Zero" identifies Abdul Rahman al-Logari as the ISIS-K member who carried out the Abbey Gate attack.