AUGUST 27, 2026 – Secretary of War Pete Hegseth presented three retired Marines with upgraded awards for valor yesterday during a ceremony at the Pentagon.
The upgrade was as a result of their heroic actions immediately following the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bomber attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, at then-Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate, which killed 13 service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians.
Hegseth presented the Bronze Star Medal with Valor to retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby, who rallied his remaining forces following the blast and established security before working to evacuate injured Marines. He also presented the Bronze Star Medal with Valor to retired Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston, who helped multiple Marines get to safety amid gunfire and clouds of tear gas following the blast, despite having sustained his own injuries. Finally, he presented the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor to retired Marine Corps Cpl. Michael Gretzon, who continued to conduct crowd control from an exposed position following the explosion.
At the time, the three Marines were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines.
“These three Marines embody a timeless truth written in the book of Proverbs: ‘The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.’ On that chaotic day, you men were as bold as lions,” Hegseth told the awardees at the outset of his remarks.
“When the wicked sought to sow terror, these men stood as lions at the gate — bold in their purpose, fierce in their resolve and unbreakable in their courage,” he continued.
The secretary stated that the military cannot achieve its strategic goal of achieving peace through strength by just investing in weapon systems and drawing up budgets but rather, achieving that goal begins with establishing a “sacred trust” between the War Department and the warriors it supports.
Citing a sluggish bureaucracy and political meddling as the reasons it took five years from the day of the attack to upgrade the awards to the level deserved, Hegseth said he hoped elevating the awards would help earn that trust.
“[Our adversaries] cannot fear our resolve if our own warfighters — if our own Marines — do not trust that the department will stand by them in the hours of their greatest need. And today, at least in part, we restore that trust,” he said.
Senior Advisor to the Secretary of War Sean Parnell, who chairs the Afghanistan Special Review Panel conducting an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Abbey Gate attack, said he is “humbled and honored” to lead the panel and to help ensure the Marines received the upgraded awards.
“The awards being pinned on your chest today represent the unvarnished truth of your valor; they are permanent testament to the fact that when America asks for volunteers to step into a nightmare, you all went with zero hesitation,” Parnell said during the ceremony.
He added that the review panel is composed of individuals who have extensive military experience in Afghanistan, and that the work they have been involved in has been thorough.
“We read the accounts, [and] we talked to the people who were there and what became clear very, very quickly was the acts that you performed at Abbey Gate were [demonstrative of] exactly what our highest awards exist to recognize,” Parnell told the Marines.
Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith also spoke highly of the three Marines and the valor they displayed five years ago.
“Each of today’s awardees demonstrated courage under extreme duress [and] under extreme personal risk. They remained committed to the mission and selflessly devoted to one another,” Smith said.
“Congratulations on these well-deserved awards. They’re the ones that no one ever wants to receive, but it’s long overdue that you receive them,” he added.
Following the ceremony, Eby reflected on receiving the Bronze Star and what the day meant to him overall.
“I am grateful for the appreciation for the sacrifice of my platoon, and for the recognition toward the Marines who put themselves in harm’s way — immediately into the line — knowing that there was an imminent threat,” Eby said.
“I appreciate it.”
By Matthew Olay
Pentagon News