Chris Hazel

STATEMENT: Following the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel’s recommendation and at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the United States Marine Corps has upgraded the valor awards for the Marines of Company G, 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, who stood at Abbey Gate on 26 August 2021. After reviewing the original awards and determining that several had been inappropriately downgraded, these awards have now been upgraded to levels that more accurately reflect the extreme risk these Marines knowingly accepted and the lives they saved under direct enemy fire.   The Marines at Abbey Gate were positioned in the direct blast zone with minimal cover, fully aware of an imminent suicide attack, yet they held their ground to keep evacuation operations running. Their actions that day were heroic. The original awards did not reflect that reality. Today’s upgrades correct that injustice.   This outcome would not have happened without the personal leadership and commitment of Under Secretary of War for Personnel & Readiness Anthony Tata and Senior Advisor Stu Scheller who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure these Marines receive the recognition they deserve. Mr. Scheller personally shepherded this effort, driving the process forward until justice was done.   This outcome also demonstrates what the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel was created to do: examine the full record, identify where the system failed our warfighters, and ensure accountability and fairness. The Department of War, under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, is committed to getting this right. We will not allow valor performed at the point of friction to be diminished by bureaucratic or administrative shortcomings.   To the Marines of Company G and to every service member who stood at Abbey Gate: your actions were seen, your sacrifice was measured correctly, and your valor is now properly recognized.   The Panel will continue its broader work to ensure the lessons from 2021 are learned and that we never again place our warfighters in positions where their courage is not fully honored.   We owe the American people, the families of the fallen, and every service member who served in Afghanistan nothing less than the truth and the corrections that truth demands.

7 upgrades for this recent announcement. Without mentioning names, upgrades as follows: 1. LCpl from NCOM with “C” to Bronze Star with “V” 2. LCpl from NCOM with “C” to NCOM with “V” 3. Sgt from NCOM with “C” to NCOM with “V” 4. SSgt from NCOM with “C” to NCOM with “V” 5. LCpl from NAM with “C” to NCOM with “V” 6. Sgt from CERTCOM to NCOM with “C” 7. Sgt from no award to NCOM