Marines receive valor awards 5 years after helping troops wounded in deadly Kabul airport attack

ARLINGTON, Va. — Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston was knocked unconscious by a suicide bombing just yards away from the Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate on Aug. 26, 2021. When he awoke bleeding from shrapnel wounds, he concealed his injuries and began helping Marines who were more severely injured.

Five years after the attack, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth honored Houston and two fellow Marines at the Pentagon on Wednesday for their actions during the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan.

Houston and Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby received Bronze Star Medals with “V” devices for valor. Cpl. Michael Gretzon received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a “V” device.

“I don’t know where we find such men. I’m not sure we deserve them,” Marine Corps Commandant Eric Smith said Wednesday for an award ceremony at the Pentagon.

All three served with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, which arrived at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 14, 2021, to provide security during the evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies.

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby receives a Bronze Star Medal with a "V" device for valor at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Aug. 26, 2026. (Department of Defense)

Marine Cpl. Michael Gretzon receives a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a “V” device from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Aug. 26, 2026. (Department of Defense)

Twelve days later, a suicide bomber attacked the airport’s Abbey Gate, killing 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghans.

Houston was conducting crowd control about 11 yards from the explosion when the blast knocked him unconscious, Smith said.

After regaining consciousness and discovering shrapnel wounds in his hip, Houston tended to Marines while concealing his own injuries so he would not be removed from the scene.

“Each of today’s awardees demonstrated courage under extreme duress, under extreme personal risk. They remain committed to the mission and selflessly devoted to one another,” Smith said.

Gretzon also assisted with crowd control when the bomb went off. He was injured by shrapnel and applied a tourniquet to his own arm.

“Despite his injuries … Gretzon remained at his position until he was ordered to receive care, and once again had to be ordered to stand down,” Smith said.

Nearby medical personnel bandaged his arm. Gretzon returned to help his squad until his platoon sergeant, Eby, ordered him to a casualty collection point.

Eby, who was running refugee screening, was also nearby when the blast went off.

“As soon as he regained his footing, he continuously exposed himself to scan for threats and reestablish a security perimeter,” Smith said. “With security already set, he began providing life-saving aid to other Marines.”

Eby began directing casualty evacuations while supervising security at Abbey Gate.

“I won’t say ‘congratulations’ because it’s an award no one ever wants to get, but damn well earned.”

Gear belonging to U.S. Marines rests behind a barricade at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2021, days before the Abbey Gate attack. (Brynn Bouchard/U.S. Marine Corps)

Dozens of service members have received valor and other awards for their actions during the evacuation, including Bronze Stars, Distinguished Flying Crosses, Air Medals and Presidential Unit Citations.

The attack’s fifth anniversary comes as the Pentagon conducts another review of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a video posted Wednesday on X that investigators had uncovered classified documents “hidden away in safes where they would not be found.”

“The deeper we look, the more there is to look at,” he said. “We are finding things that we did not expect.”

He provided no details about the documents or their contents.

The review follows a U.S. Central Command investigation released in 2024 that concluded the Abbey Gate bombing was not preventable and that U.S. service members did not have a chance to identify the bomber before the attack.

A separate bipartisan Afghanistan War Commission, established by Congress to examine U.S. involvement in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021, is expected to issue its final report this month.

Hegseth said Wednesday that the Pentagon’s review is ongoing and a full report is expected by the end of the year.

“You have carried the weight of required sacrifice,” he told the Marines. “And today, we hope you feel the full, proud embrace of this department, of the Corps and of a grateful nation.”

From left, Cpl. Michael Gretzon, Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby and Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston upgraded awards for valor on Aug. 26, 2026, during a ceremony at the Pentagon. (Department of Defense)