The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Biden meets families of 13 soldiers killed in airport suicide attack
President Joe Biden met in solemn privacy with the families of the 13 US troops killed in the suicide attack near Kabul Airport and became the fourth commander in chief to bear witness as the remains of the fallen returned to US soil from Afghanistan.
First Lady Jill Biden joined the president at Dover Air Force Base to grieve with loved ones as the “dignified transfer” of remains unfolded, a military ritual for those killed in foreign combat.
The dead ranged in age from 20 to 31.
They include a 20-yearold Marine from Wyoming who had been expecting his first child in three weeks and a 22-year-old Navy corpsman who in his last FaceTime conversation with his mother assured her that he would stay safe because “my guys got me”.
Five were just 20, born not long before the attacks of September 11 2001, that spurred the United States to invade Afghanistan in order to topple al Qaida and dismantle their Taliban hosts who ruled the country.
At their deaths, the 13 young service members were on the ground for the US conclusion to its longest war, assisting a chaotic evacuation of Americans and of Afghans who helped the US war effort and are now fleeing the Taliban after their return to power.
“The 13 service members that we lost were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our highest American ideals and while saving the lives of others,” Mr Biden said in a statement.
“Their bravery and selflessness has enabled more than 117,000 people at risk to reach safety thus far.”
Family members of the fallen often travel to Dover to be present as flag-draped transfer cases are taken off the transport plane that returns them to America.