Early in Joe Biden’s team, he authorized the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.
The death of 13 troops is a stain that will never leave his legacy, but that stain is much darker than most people realize.
Talking Points…
- The Afghanistan withdrawal
- Gold Star mother comes forward
- Analysis
On August 26, 2021, a suicide attack took place at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. There were 13 American troops and nearly 200 civilians killed in the attack, and more than 150 others injured.
In Joe Biden’s haste to flip the script in the news cycle, a retaliatory strike was ordered on August 29, 2021. A drone strike was ordered against what was supposed to be a vehicle transporting ISIS-K members, but it was carrying an Afghan aid worker. The aid worker was killed, with 10 people total dying in the strike, all innocent civilians, which included seven children.
When all was said and done, we lost 13 troops, more injured, innocent civilians, including children, were killed due to sloppy intelligence, Biden left more than 1,000 American citizens behind enemy lines, and he was completely disinterested during the dignified transfer. Yet, all of this was off the news media radar within days after it took place. Furthermore, nobody in the administration was ever held accountable for this disaster, without a single resignation being demanded or anyone having ever been terminated over the failings of the withdrawal.
With all the phone calls and visits we have seen from this administration over alleged criminals being shot and killed by police officers, one would think they would have the decency to reach out to military families from one of the most significant stains against this administration, but that is hardly the case.
Tiffany Andrews, mother of Abbey Gate survivor Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews said she has received virtually nothing from this administration after the death of her son. Her family received a muffin basket, a picture of Biden, a dinner, and some quick phone calls. After some limited interactions, Andrews said she was ghosted. She stated:
“My naivety, right? I’m thinking the government’s going to swoop in and take care of us. Oh, God, was I so wrong.”
She later added:
“I’ve just left my kids on the other side of the U.S. And I have an entire company where I’m taking care of 150 to 200 clients, 17 different employees, so 17 different families, and I’m a single mom, 100% with no other support to take care of my kids. I need to have a business to come back to.
“I needed to know how I was going to still have a livelihood and come back, because I’m not leaving my son, who quite literally might die, and I needed to then come back to get my younger children and move them across the U.S. to stay with me. We were put in an apartment out there by the Yellow Ribbon fund, and that was incredibly grateful. But we didn’t have an income. You just cut the head of my company off. I was the highest biller. I was the one that managed everybody.”
There was initially some back and forth early, but Andrews, honestly, did not know what she needed at the time. After some time, she did get her list together on the help she needed, but after sending messages to Jill Biden about it, she never heard back from her again. Vanessa Valdivia, a press secretary in the First Lady’s Office, responded:
“There was engagement between our office and Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews’ family. Joining Forces is informed by the lived experiences of military families, and brings their stories to policymakers at the White House and across the Administration. The experiences of military and veteran caregivers and their families informed President Biden’s executive order on increasing access to high-quality care and supporting caregivers for families.
“The President’s executive order specifically directed actions to expand options for veterans with disabilities, and better support military and veteran caregiving families.”
It sounds to me that when the cameras were on, Biden was there to help, but the moment they were shut off, the news cycle moved on, and so did the White House. Why do we not have a task force that handles just this issue for our wounded when they come home from a deployment? It is rare when you hear any American pushback on spending money for our warriors, yet they are constantly forgotten by the political world tasked with funding them. We have politicians who will move heaven and earth to take care of illegal immigrants, yet when it comes to the people who have been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, they just toss them to the side of the road like a piece of garbage. It is truly shameful.
