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President Biden awards Congressional Gold Medal to 13 service members killed in Kabul airport bombing

Afghanistan
Posted at 3:32 PM, Dec 20, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-20 18:33:45-05

President Joe Biden is expected to posthumously honor the 13 U.S. service members killed in the airport bombing in Kabul with a Congressional Gold Medal.

According to CNN and the Boston Herald, President Biden signed the bill on Thursday that will award the highest honor from Congress to the sailor, soldier, and 11 Marines who were killed from an ISIS-K suicide blast at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26.

"Thank you to Representative McClain and Senators Daines and Warren and many others for their leadership," Biden said in a brief statement after signing the bill.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., on Aug. 31.

The deadly explosion happened days before Biden's Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

Those who died were Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Max Soviak, 22, Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, 23, and Marines Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, 20, Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20, Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, 31, Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page, 23, Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23, Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, 22, Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, 20, and Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25.