Trump Pentagon’s Abbey Gate review dwarfs prior probe, Gold Star father says
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Gold Star father Darin Hoover says a new Pentagon review of the deadly Abbey Gate attack finally looks different after years of what he described as “crickets” from the Biden administration — but he still questions whether critical information was deliberately withheld from military families and the public.
Hoover, whose son, Marine Corps Sgt. Darin “Taylor” Hoover, was among 13 U.S. service members killed in the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing during the Afghanistan withdrawal, told Fox News Digital that for years, families only received a “canned” response.
“For the first three and a half years…we got nothing from the previous administration. They were crickets,” Hoover said. “The only thing we all got was a canned letter saying how sorry they were. There was nothing special about the kids.”
Former President Joe Biden checked his watch during the dignified transfer of lost U.S. service members at Abbey Gate, which included 11 Marines, an Army private and a Navy sailor.
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Darin Hoover and Kelly Barnett, parents of Marine Corps Sgt. Taylor Hoover, speaking to a House committee, August 29, 2023, in Washington, DC (Darin Hoover and Kelly Barnett for Fox News Digital)
His frustration comes as the Pentagon’s Special Afghanistan Withdrawal Review Committee says it has completed the substantive phase of interviews with senior military and civilian leaders and is now preparing its findings and recommendations for a final report expected “in the coming months.”
The panel reviewed more than nine million documents, according to chairman Sean Parnell. In contrast, an earlier Pentagon study examined about 3,000 documents.
Parnell said the previous review was “significantly narrower in scope” and “over-classified at the highest levels, which effectively kept the most critical and relevant information shielded from public scrutiny.”
It is exactly this contrast that prompts Hoover to demand answers.
“The 3,000 pages…don’t even make a sound,” Hoover said. “Now we have over a million pages under review. Why was everything so top secret that none of us could see it? They owe us the answers.”
THE FAMILIES OF OUR FALLEN HEROES DESERVE MORE THAN EXCEEDED SURVIVOR BENEFITS
Gold medals are displayed in the rotunda of the United States Capitol before a ceremony honoring 13 U.S. service members who died in the Abbey Gate suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan September 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
When asked directly if he thought key information had been withheld, Hoover did not hesitate.
“Yes, absolutely, information was withheld from us,” he said.
“This looks exactly like a cover-up,” he added. “What did they see, or what did they think they had to hide so no one could know what it was?”
A Pentagon spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to a statement from Parnell when asked for comment.
In that statement, Parnell said the committee was created by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the direction of President Donald Trump “to conduct the most comprehensive military after-action review in modern history.”
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An exhibit shows fallen U.S. service members killed in the Abbey Gate suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan in August 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
He said the panel interviewed key figures involved in planning and executing the withdrawal, including retired Gen. Mark Milley and retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., among other senior officials.
“This will be the most comprehensive, transparent and honest accounting the American people have received of what happened in August 2021,” Parnell said. “Our goal is to identify failures in decision-making, in order to prevent the United States from repeating this tragedy.”
Hoover said accountability should carry real consequences for those in command if the new review finds failures.
“If they did something wrong or failed to act, they should no longer be allowed to lead where life or death is at stake,” he said.
“I would like to see pensions abolished… and if possible, I would like to see people go to prison,” he added.
TRUMP CALLS SGT OLLIS’S FAMILY TO CONFIRM MEDAL OF HONOR AWARD
Families of U.S. service members killed during the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan listen as fallen soldiers are posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, September 10, 2024. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
He also argued that the bombings exposed a broader system failure between civilian and military agencies.
“The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing,” Hoover said. “And it all stopped somewhere in the middle.”
“And our kids did the best they could with the tools they were given,” he added. “They did a phenomenal job.”
Other official studies have already documented breakdowns surrounding the removal. A State Department study found failures in crisis planning and preparation for worst-case scenarios, while Milley later described the evacuation timetable as “too slow and too late.”
Hoover said what makes this moment different is President Trump’s commitment to families and Hegseth’s promise of broader accountability.
“He spent 45 minutes with us…gave us his undivided attention,” Hoover said.
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He added that after years of silence, just being included now matters. Hoover noted that the trial of the ISIS-K-linked figure accused of giving final approval to the suicide bomber’s blast is scheduled to begin Monday in Alexandria, and some Abbey Gate families plan to attend.
“We’re approaching Memorial Day,” Hoover said. “Please, please remember them. Honor them. Remember how we got here, why we got here and live a life worthy of the sacrifices that were made.”
