Pete Hegseth honors Marines as lions after 2021 Abbey Gate bombing at Kabul airport in Afghanistan @USATODAY
Pete Hegseth honors Marines as lions after 2021 Abbey Gate bombing at Kabul airport in Afghanistan  @USATODAY
Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth honored Marines who served at the suicide bombing at Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 26, 2021.

The bombing killed 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians during the U.S. military evacuation from Afghanistan. Hegseth presented Marines with the Bronze Star Medal during a Pentagon ceremony Thursday, dubbing the Marines "lions" five years after their response to the bombing attack.

Read more: usatoday.com

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Pete Hegseth honors Marines as 'lions' after 2021 Abbey Gate bombing at Kabul airport in Afghanistan

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