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President Biden reportedly made grieving relatives of U.S. service members killed in the 2021 Kabul airport attack wait for hours during a dignified transfer ceremony while he napped aboard Air Force One, multiple family members have claimed.
The attack, carried out by Taliban terrorists on August 26, 2021, killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghans during the chaotic final days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The dignified transfer ceremony was held at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to honor the fallen soldiers.
However, some family members say President Biden’s decision to rest before the ceremony was disrespectful. “Biden made us wait an extra three hours to receive the bodies of our dead family members because he couldn’t pull it together,” Roice McCollum, whose brother Rylee McCollum was among the fallen, told the Daily Mail.
A military officer reportedly informed McCollum that Biden was sleeping aboard Air Force One. Her account was corroborated by Darin Hoover, father of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, and Christy Shamblin, mother-in-law of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, both of whom also died in the attack.
“We sat in that office for what seemed like an eternity waiting on the doddering old fool,” Hoover told the Daily Mail.
A History of Controversy
The incident is one of several controversies surrounding Biden’s conduct during the dignified transfer ceremony. The president previously faced backlash for appearing to check his watch multiple times during the solemn event. While White House allies later disputed that it happened, the moment was captured on video, fueling outrage from military families and critics.
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, including the attack at Abbey Gate, is widely regarded as one of the lowest points of Biden’s presidency, drawing bipartisan criticism.
White House Denials
A White House spokesperson dismissed the claims about Biden napping, calling them “untrue.” In a statement, the spokesperson referenced Biden’s remarks on the anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack, where he called the fallen soldiers “patriots in the highest sense” and emphasized the nation’s enduring gratitude to their families.
As public debate continues, the accounts of military families underscore lingering anger and grief over the events of August 2021.
