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The U.S. Department of Defense has upgraded valor awards for a group of Marines who defended Abbey Gate during the 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan, following a review that found their original commendations did not fully reflect their actions.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the decision came after recommendations from the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel, which reexamined awards given to Marines assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines.
“After reviewing the original awards and determining that several had been inappropriately downgraded, these awards have now been upgraded to levels that more accurately reflect the extreme risk these Marines knowingly accepted and the lives they saved under direct enemy fire,” Parnell said.
“To the Marines of Company G and to every service member who stood at Abbey Gate: your actions were seen, your sacrifice was measured correctly, and your valor is now properly recognized,” he added.
The Marines were stationed at Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021, when a suicide bombing killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghan civilians.
According to defense officials, the Marines remained at their posts despite intelligence warnings of an imminent attack, operating with minimal protection while continuing evacuation efforts during the final days of the U.S. military presence.
The upgraded awards are intended to better reflect the danger they faced and the role they played in helping evacuate thousands of Americans and Afghan allies. Officials credited Anthony Tata, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and Stu Scheller, a senior adviser, with helping push for the review.
Scheller was described as having closely guided the effort to ensure the Marines received appropriate recognition for their actions.
The Pentagon said the review is part of a broader effort to reassess decisions made during the Afghanistan withdrawal and ensure service members’ actions are accurately honored.
Formal ceremonies to present the upgraded honors are expected to take place at a later date, as the panel continues its wider review of the evacuation.
