Joe Biden has refused to acknowledge their sacrifices, Christy Shamblin, Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee’s mother-in-law, told the crowd.
 "Family of soldier killed during Afghanistan withdrawal slams Biden")
The crowd chanted “We’ll never forget!” and “USA!” as Trump and the rest of the room rose to their feet. (Photo: Reuters) AP
Family members of 13 U.S. soldiers killed during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan took to the stage at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday in an emotional moment that once again evoked the darkest period of President Joe Biden’s term in office.
Many Gold Star families have criticized Biden for never releasing the names of their loved ones. On stage Wednesday, a family member read each of the 13 service members’ names, with the audience repeating each one as they were read.
Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp
“Joe Biden has refused to acknowledge their sacrifice,” Christy Shamblin, stepmother of Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee, told the crowd. “Donald Trump knew all of our children’s names. He knew all of their stories.”
As Trump and the entire venue rose to their feet, the crowd chanted “We’ll never forget!” and “USA!”
“President Biden cares deeply about our nation’s service members, their families and the incredible sacrifices they make,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “That is why the President was present at the dignified transfer of 13 brave service members who lost their lives in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021, and also witnessed the transfer of three who lost their lives in Jordan earlier this year. As the President said then and now, our nation owes them a tremendous debt of gratitude and one that can never be repaid, and we will continue to honor their ultimate sacrifice.”
The move, on the third day of the Republican National Convention, was an implicit response to Biden’s repeated attacks on Trump, in which he accused the former president of not respecting veterans. Biden has frequently invoked allegations by Trump’s chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, that Trump called soldiers who died in World War II losers and fools. Trump has denied the allegations.
In August 2021, as the US was working frantically to evacuate Americans and Afghans who had supported the West in the 20-year war, a suicide bomb attack occurred at Kabul airport, killing 60 US soldiers and Afghans.
Since then, military parents and family members have been in the political spotlight, appearing at congressional hearings and giving news interviews.
Republicans have argued that Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan after two decades of war is purely a political move. However, the agreement for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was signed by the Trump administration in February 2020. The agreement called for U.S. troops to withdraw by May 2021, but Trump left office in January that year without any plan for an actual troop withdrawal.
Months before the peace deal with the Taliban was signed in Doha, Qatar, President Trump considered inviting Taliban leaders to Camp David to sign the deal, a plan that was fiercely opposed by military officials but was put on hold after a Taliban attack killed a U.S. soldier.
Criticism of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan has resonated with voters across party lines, and supporters of former President Biden, such as former New Hampshire House Speaker Steve Shurtleff, have cited the failure to withdraw as one of the reasons they want Biden to step down.
