Exclusive: Gold Star families back Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense: “He has been a tireless advocate for veterans of this country”
The Abbey Gate Coalition is backing Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. Here's why...
A coalition of Gold Star families is backing Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, according to letter shared exclusively with the Washington Reporter.
The Abbey Gate Coalition, comprised of family members of the American service members who were killed during the Biden administration’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, are writing to members of the Senate urging that Hegseth be confirmed.
“We are very happy with that nomination for some of the following reasons,” they wrote. “First and foremost is his service and dedication to this country both in and out of uniform. He was an Infantry Captain and Major in the Army National Guard with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan where he was awarded 2 Bronze Stars. And here at home, he has been a tireless advocate for veterans of this country, to which we also hold dear.”
The current leadership of the Department of Defense has left the families in the dark at repeated junctures, they wrote. “We have been stonewalled at every turn and only given ‘bread-crumbs’ to attempt to make us just go away! We feel that there has been a complete coverup at the Department of Defense with the current Secretary of Defense leading the way.”
For years, the Abbey Gate Coalition has navigated the halls of Congress in their quest for accountability about the series of policy failures that led to the deaths of their loved ones. One of its members, Steve Nikoui, was arrested during President Joe Biden’s final State of the Union when he shouted the name of his son, Kareem Nikoui, who was killed at Abbey Gate at the Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 26, 2021. Charges against Nikoui were dropped after members of Congress, led by Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), demanded that he not be prosecuted.
“We ask that you please hear our words and feel the pain that we do, knowing that it was avoidable in respect to what happened to our children,” the Gold Star family members wrote. “We are asking for answers and accountability from other departments within the Federal Government and feel as though the process starts with confirming Pete Hegseth as the new Secretary of Defense. Promises made, promises kept.”