On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth honored Marines who served during the 2021 Abbey Gate attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, marking five years since the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians.

The attack occurred during the final days of the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan at Hamid Karzai International Airport. A lone ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated an explosive device outside Abbey Gate, where service members were processing evacuees.

Retired Gunnery Sergeant Jonathan Eby, retired Lance Corporal Jordan Houston, and retired Corporal Michael Gretzon were present at Abbey Gate when the bomb exploded. Despite the disruption, they provided care to the wounded and continued processing evacuees.

The Pentagon upgraded their awards in recognition of their actions. Eby and Houston each received the Bronze Star Medal with a valor device, while Gretzon was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a valor device. Initially, Houston and Eby had been approved for Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals with combat devices, and Gretzon for a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with a combat device.

According to Gretzon's citation, he conducted crowd control from an exposed position to facilitate evacuation of critically wounded personnel, an act that "doubtlessly saved the lives of his fellow Marines." Houston's citation noted he was wounded, concussed, surrounded by gunfire, and engulfed in tear gas but disregarded his injuries to rescue multiple wounded Marines.

Defense Secretary Hegseth described their "fearless response [as] the pinnacle of combat heroism. Simply put, valor."

Hegseth has also established an Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel, led by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, to conduct what is described as "the most comprehensive military after-action review in modern history." The panel's work continues as of the latest update.

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