All navy models concerned within the withdrawal and evacuation missions from Afghanistan final 12 months might be awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation or its equal, Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin introduced Wednesday.
Austin can be directing all navy branches to carry out an “expedited assessment” of all models staged at Hamid Karzai Worldwide Airport throughout the peak of evacuation efforts from Aug. 15-30, 2021, “to establish these models or people that meet the excessive requirements of the Presidential Unit Quotation or acceptable particular person awards,” in line with the Pentagon.
The announcement got here one 12 months after the evacuation mission from Kabul ended Aug. 30, 2021. The U.S. and its allies flew about 124,000 Afghans and People overseas however left behind hundreds of Afghans and American civilians who needed to flee the Taliban which seized energy Aug. 15, 2021.
13 U.S. service members and at the very least 170 Afghans have been killed in a suicide bombing at Kabul airport believed carried out by an Afghanistan department of the Islamic State, or ISIS, 4 days earlier than the mission was accomplished.
“No different navy may have protected so many lives beneath such difficult circumstances in such a brief period of time — not simply due to our airlift or our logistics capabilities, however most of all due to the immense compassion, ability, and dedication of American service members,” the Pentagon stated in its assertion.
Units concerned within the resettlement of Afghan allies within the U.S. as a part of Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome may even obtain the Meritorious Unit Commendations, in line with the assertion.
“Since World Battle II, the nation has acknowledged the extraordinary heroism of navy models in motion towards an armed enemy with the Presidential Unit Quotation,” Austin stated. “President [Joe Biden] directed these actions after session with me and with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers.”
Austin stated the awards signify “the gratitude and love of our nation” for service members’ actions throughout the withdrawal.
“No phrases can correctly honor the deeds we acknowledge with these awards,” Austin stated. “I hope these awards function a reminder to each service member who wears them of the lives they helped save and the thanks of the nation and Division of Protection they serve so effectively.”
