Afghan Withdrawl: 13 Gold Star Families Remember

“We’re in a dangerous time, when we don’t seem to have a functioning commander-in-chief. Our enemies are fully aware that our compromised, permanently off-duty president is not up to the job. Meanwhile, it’s fun to poke fun at Kamala Harris’ endless cackling and laugh-out-loud word salads, but on a more somber note, she has consistently proven that she is not ready for the position. No foreign leader is going to take her seriously…” —Bob Hoge, columnist 

By Robin Itzler

Editor's Note:  This is one of the commentaries selected from Robin's weekly newsletter Patriot Neighbors. Any cartoons appearing will have been added by me.  If you wish to get the full edition, E-mail her at PatriotNeighbors@yahoo.com to get on her list, it's free. RK 

On the third anniversary of the humiliating and lethal Afghanistan withdrawal, where Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ignorantly left $85 BILLION in military equipment for the Taliban, a ceremony was planned at Arlington National Cemetery. Organized by the Gold Star families of the 13 U.S. service members were murdered at Abbey Gate, INVITED President Trump to attend.

Remember, following the Afghanistan debacle, Joe Biden called it an “extraordinary success.” The withdrawal was so “successful” that to celebrate taking their country back 500 years, on the third anniversary the Taliban held a parade showcasing all the American military equipment left behind.

It’s been reported that at first Arlington National Cemetery made it very difficult for the ceremony to take place. For instance, the specific time they would allow the ceremony didn’t work for all 13 families. Then the cemetery bureaucrats didn’t want President Trump to participate. This meant that grieving families were fighting the Deep State bureaucratic maze while trying to put together a solemn ceremony to honor their 13 loved ones.

Darin Hoover and Kelly Barnett, parents of Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover, reached out to Representative Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who then contacted Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. That greatly improved the back-and-forth from Arlington National Cemetery bureaucrats, who appeared to have an agenda throughout the planning process. Representatives Brian Mast (Florida) and Darrell Issa (California) were also involved in making sure that the solemn ceremony proceeded as planned.

President Trump was allowed to attend. From Darin Hoover, father of Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover: 

“We extended the invitation to President Trump... President Trump has stood by us from day one. He has been compassionate, loving, and understanding. He’s taken on some of our outrage because, quite frankly, we haven’t heard anything from the current administration in three years.”

The White House claims Biden and Harris were not invited. Others say they were invited, but declined to attend. Still, Biden and Harris could have made a comment on the third anniversary. However, Joe was too busy counting sand on a Delaware beach and Harris was too busy changing accents on the campaign trail.