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As US marks 9/11, a divided Congress unites to honor 13 fallen in Afghanistan

On the eve of the anniversary of 9/11, Democratic and Republican leaders joined to award the Congressional Gold Medal to 13 U.S. service members killed by a suicide bomber during America’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In a poignant ceremony full of pageantry at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, family members of the 13 dabbed their eyes; others sat erect and resolute. A baby gurgled, a photographer dropped her lens cap, and strains of the U.S. Army Brass Quintet echoed off the murals depicting seminal moments in American history.

Why We Wrote This

In our congressional correspondent’s four years of reporting on Capitol Hill, it’s been rare for her to see lawmakers resist opportunities for political digs. But on Tuesday in the Capitol Rotunda, they put bipartisan sparring aside to honor fallen service members.

The Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee had released a report Monday excoriating the Biden-Harris administration for the withdrawal, saying it undermined America’s credibility. The report did not focus on the role of former President Donald Trump, who had agreed to withdrawal terms before Joe Biden took office.

Despite that backdrop and a consequential election season, the ceremony was notably nonpolitical. Democratic and Republican lawmakers, standing side by side, focused on honoring those who, they repeated, “made the ultimate sacrifice” in the name of freedom and democracy. 

It takes a lot to bring Democrats and Republicans together these days. But 13 fallen heroes did it on the eve of the anniversary of 9/11.

The occasion was the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal – the highest award Congress gives – to 13 service members killed by a suicide bomber in the final days of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago. 

Under the Capitol dome, family members of the 13 dabbed their eyes; others sat erect and resolute. A baby gurgled, a photographer dropped her lens cap, and the strains of the U.S. Army Brass Quintet echoed off the murals depicting seminal moments in American history. 

Why We Wrote This

In our congressional correspondent’s four years of reporting on Capitol Hill, it’s been rare for her to see lawmakers resist opportunities for political digs. But on Tuesday in the Capitol Rotunda, they put bipartisan sparring aside to honor fallen service members.

The lawmakers demonstrated restraint, if not comity. They sat next to each other. They stood next to each other. They largely blamed terrorists instead of each other, though House Speaker Mike Johnson made an early, direct dig at the Biden-Harris administration.

Even if it was a brief, imperfect reprieve among members of Congress, it was a refreshing one.

The ceremony – attended by several top military and White House officials – took place against a backdrop of political fighting over who is to blame for the botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee released a report this week excoriating the Biden-Harris administration for its lack of planning, transparency, and accountability, saying it undermined America’s standing in the world among both allies and adversaries. The report did not focus on the role of former President Donald Trump, who had agreed to withdrawal terms before President Joe Biden took office.

Shekib Rahmani/AP/File

In what later became a chaotic evacuation, crowds gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021. More than a dozen U.S. service members were killed in the final days of the 20-year war.

Despite that backdrop – a nation struggling with sharp political polarization and a consequential upcoming election – the ceremony itself was notably nonpolitical. Lawmakers exercised a discipline rare these days and focused on honoring those who, they said, “made the ultimate sacrifice” in the name of U.S. ideals of freedom and democracy. They called on their fellow Americans to live lives worthy of that sacrifice. 

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