The 13 Service Members Were True Heroes

Every American was saddened last week upon hearing the news of the suicide bombing by a terrorist in Afghanistan that claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service men and women, 11 of whom were Marines and one each from the Army and Navy.

If any of our readers have not had a chance to read the personal stories of these brave and dedicated young men and women, we encourage you to do so. Their life-stories are inspirational and demonstrate the high-quality of the dedicated individuals who serve in our armed forces today. They were amazing young men and women who came from disparate backgrounds and from all across the country, but who stood united in their desire to show the world the best that America can be.

These 13 service members knew of the danger they were facing outside of the Abbey Gate at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai Airport, yet they continued to process the hundreds of Afghan nationals who were seeking to come to the United States to flee persecution from the Taliban. 

They did their duty in the face of danger for which they made the ultimate sacrifice.

Contrary to what the pundits and usual-suspect politicians are saying, the incredible effort by these 13 soldiers and their comrades that resulted in the airlifting of more than 125,000 of our Afghanistan allies stands as a testament to the ability of our military to complete its mission.

No other nation on earth could have accomplished what we did in Afghanistan over the past two weeks — and no other nation even remotely will be able to come close in the future. 

Our military could have packed its bags and said, “Good luck,” when the Afghan government fled, but instead we made a herculean effort to get our people and allies out of the country.

The Supreme Sacrifice made by those 13 servicemen and women forever will stand as a reminder to the world of America’s resolve and strength, which once again has proven that we are the greatest and strongest nation on earth by any measure.