The families of some of the U.S. military personnel who lost their lives during the withdrawal from Afghanistan charged the administration and President Biden. At an event organized in California by Representative Darrell Issa, several of the relatives demanded from the Executive "answers," and "the truth" of what happened during "this failure." Some of the participants went further and demanded that the commander-in-chief admit his mistakes and resign immediately.
So proud to have held today’s forum for these remarkable families. https://t.co/Y8v46b5dp9
— Rep. Darrell Issa (@repdarrellissa) August 7, 2023
Issa organized the event at the Escondido (California) City Hall where relatives of the soldiers killed at Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul could offer their testimony and remember their loved ones. The official version of their deaths is that it was a suicide bomb attack, something about which the relatives have doubts and denounce inconsistencies and the existence of a three-minute hole in the recordings that recorded what happened.
Those responsible for the exit from Afghanistan "must resign immediately"
The most forceful, without a doubt, was Darin Hoover, father of Marine Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover Jr., who demanded that senior members of the Biden Administration and, ultimately the president himself, acknowledge what was done wrong in the exit from Afghanistan and his immediate resignation:
I’m calling out Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, General Milley, General McKenzie, Lt. Col. Whitehead — who could not give the order to the snipers to take out the bomber before he detonated his vest — and ultimately, the president. Do what our son did: Be a grown-ass man. Admit your mistakes. Learn from them so that this doesn’t happen ever, ever again. You all need to resign immediately. Our sons and daughters have more integrity in their little toes than every one of them combined.
Darin Hoover, father of fallen Marine Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, Jr., tells Biden over the botched Afghanistan withdrawal:
"Do what our son did — be a grown ass man. Admit to your mistakes ... resign immediately." pic.twitter.com/cgTi7TDlwe
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 7, 2023
"How can anyone be so heartless?"
Also expressing her dissatisfaction with the Executive was Cheryl Rex, mother of Marine Dylan R. Merola, who also lost his life in the attack in Afghanistan. Rex denounced that the explanations she received from a colonel and JAG about what happened at the airport present serious inconsistencies and denounced that the recording made by drones that they were able to see what happened is incomplete:
I was being given false information. While this colonel was describing Dylan’s wounds, he was describing the report as intended towards a right-handed person. My son’s personal trait was that he was left-handed, so when I questioned, ‘How could my son obtain wounds on the opposite of his body that he was illustrating?’ he could not respond, leading the conversation to the JAG to change the subject.
Rex, further recalled the moment when Biden approached her to express his condolences and said, "My wife, Jill, and I know how you feel. We lost our son as well and brought him home in a flag-draped coffin...". Rex stressed that she already knew Beau had died of cancer and recalled how she experienced that moment, "My heart started beating, how could anyone be so heartless to say they knew how I felt?" when they had been able to be at their son's deathbed.
Cheryl Rex describes Biden's callous attempt to lump his son Beau's death from cancer with the pain of losing her son Dylan Merola in the Afghanistan withdrawal suicide bombing.
"How could someone be so heartless to say he knew how I felt." pic.twitter.com/0pTYHn5BlB
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) August 7, 2023
"I want the answers, I want the truth" about what happened in Afghanistan
She also expressed her doubts about the official version Coral Briseño, mother of Humberto Sanchez: "The commander in chief failed in the oath he took... he failed everyone. I want the answers, I want the truth. I want to know this type of failure will not repeat itself again."
Coral Briseño, Humberto Sanchez’s mom: “Why did I not hug him longer the last time I saw him?”
“Why did I not make sure he knows how much I love him?”
“My son loved this country,” I expected this government to protect him back
“The commander in chief failed in the oath he… pic.twitter.com/7rNrKS6VAl
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) August 7, 2023
"I continue to work until every question you have is answered"
In a tweet, Issa thanked all the participants for their presence and testimony and assured that he will echo this and ensure that the families of the fallen soldiers in the Afghanistan withdrawal receive all the answers they demand.
The testimony we heard today from Gold Star Families is just the beginning. To the families who came so far to share their stories: thank you. As a witness to your testimony, I will retell your stories and continue to work until every question you have is answered. pic.twitter.com/CTb5voUiew
— Darrell Issa (@DarrellIssa) August 7, 2023
