Remembering August 26, 2021

August 26, 2021.

I remember this day vividly.

As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 was approaching, my three sons and I had become engrossed in a novel that portrays the stories of an American boy who survived the attacks in the Twin Towers in 2001 and an Afghan girl in 2019 who grew up knowing nothing other than war and the terror of the Taliban.

My children were captivated by this book, and each time a chapter would end, they would beg to keep reading. Finally, we decided to stop and check the news during our snack break.

Expecting to hear the usual reports about the January 6th investigation, COVID-19 updates, and vaccine mandates, we were also anxious to hear the latest on the abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Trump Administration had originally set a date of May 1, 2021, for the final withdrawal; however, President Biden delayed the deadline when he took office, setting a new date for September 11. Due to the Taliban rapidly overtaking the Afghan government, the date was then shortened to August 31. It was now August 26, 2021, and only five days away from the zero military occupancy in Afghanistan. Yet, everything seemed to be in utter chaos.

The moment we turned on our television, the shocking news of the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport was the main headline. Though it was an unfolding situation, the anchor reported many injuries and a dozen Marine deaths.

Our school day came to a halt, since we couldn’t pull ourselves away from the unsettling images. All we could do was pray.

August 26, 2021.

A mother in Florida will always remember this day.

Paula Knauss-Selph had just returned from her honeymoon and was packing for a quick trip to her son, Ryan’s, house. The last time she had seen both of her sons in person was in May of 2021 at the wedding of her oldest son, Tyler.

Because Ryan had known the withdrawal from Afghanistan was approaching, he had planned to stay close to his base at Fort Bragg, N.C., over the next couple of months, in the event he was called to serve a second tour of duty. So, Paula and her sons made plans in advance to meet at Ryan’s house on August 26, in order for her sons and their wives to meet her new husband, Mark, in person.

From May to August, Ryan diligently trained to prove himself to his new 9th Battalion unit. Paula had hoped he would be able to attend her wedding on the beach on August 14, but he was swiftly deployed on August 13. She was hesitant about him leaving, but he assured her that this was a non-combative mission and that he was confident “he would be right back.”

She later learned that the command had actually scratched Ryan’s name from the mission, but then added him back once he insisted he was next on the volunteer list, and that it was his turn to go.

Initially, she wasn’t overly worried about him because they exchanged texts and Snapchat photos after the wedding and during her honeymoon. Amazingly, Ryan and his team of 4 other Army Special Operations 9th Battalion PSYOP members weren’t able to enter Afghanistan until August 18 due to the vast number of troops also flooding in and the havoc occurring on the ground.

However, once Paula returned from the honeymoon cruise, she realized this “non-combative” mission was escalating exponentially as the news featured refugees clinging to moving airplanes and falling to their deaths, babies being flung by desperate mothers over barbed wire fences to save their lives, and crowds frantically trampling each other to death in order to get to the front of the line to board overly crowded planes that would rescue them from the Taliban.

It was a nightmare scenario. Thousands of innocent civilians who had risked everything to aid the United States were desperate to leave and take their families with them. They knew they would be hunted and slaughtered, otherwise.

A heightened sense of panic surged through the crowd once the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15, and tens of thousands of Afghans frantically flocked to the one airfield with one working runway. For days, the masses waited shoulder to shoulder with the blazing sun bearing down on them with no food, no water, and no bathroom, while the Taliban had their own methods of crowd control, which involved shootings and brutal beatings.

Abbey Gate became the primary entry point for civilian evacuation as other gates were closed to better contain the multitude. Military personnel were given the task of locating interpreters, contractors, American citizens, and citizens of allied nations with passports or Special Immigrant Visas among the throngs of people. Once allowed into the airport perimeter, the military would search them and send them to the State Department, where they would verify their paperwork. Many did not have the proper documentation and were forced out to face the Taliban, who were waiting to beat or execute them. Those who were rejected begged for the military to save them or spare them by killing them to avoid the Taliban’s torture.

Most of the 6,000-plus replacement troops deployed to Kabul for the last weeks of the war were very young and had never experienced combat. As they tried to process this impossible situation, they were pained to see so much desperation and cruelty for those determined to escape terrorist rule.

Because of the U.S. government's adherence to the enemy, potential IED threats and suspicious bombers were identified, but troops were denied permission to engage. Many of the military-age Afghan men who pushed their way into Abbey Gate were hostile; however, military personnel were not allowed to interfere.

Most of the faithful interpreters had already been evacuated with their families, so the Special Operations PSYOP team never knew who to trust when pulling someone from the crowd to interpret for them. It became increasingly difficult to decipher the friendlies from the foes, but the selfless, exhausted soldiers never quit.

After receiving no pictures or texts from Ryan for several days, Paula messaged him repeatedly, begging him to check in. On Tuesday, August 24, Ryan finally sent a photo of himself calmly sitting in a commandeered vehicle in the midst of mayhem, just smiling. Not wanting his mom to worry, his message was simple, “All good here, Mom. I love you.”

She continued to send him texts, photos, and Scriptures, but heard nothing in return on Wednesday or Thursday.

On Thursday afternoon, August 26, 2021, Paula heard reports of a bombing at Abbey Gate and 11 Marine casualties. Her heart broke for the wounded, killed, and their families. Later that night, Paula heard of two Navy Corpsmen possibly being killed. Although she was relieved it was not the Army, the sleepless night of pain for others and fear of the unknown consumed her thoughts.

Throughout the night, she continued to pray, completely unaware that her very own son was fighting for his life on the other side of the world, 8 ½ hours away.

Early the next morning, she busied herself by packing to catch the midday flight with her new husband. Since plane tickets had been purchased earlier, they still intended to visit with Ryan’s wife, her son Tyler, and his wife - even though Ryan was deployed. Weighed down with worry and still no word from Ryan, she paused to pray and send him more Scriptures.

As she opened her Bible, Tyler texted the words, “Mom” and then called immediately to say the three words no parent ever wants to hear, “Mom...Ryan’s...dead.”

In the following days, Paula was informed that Ryan’s 9th Psychological Operations commandeered vehicle arrived at Abbey Gate to quickly assist troops in calming the agitated and fearful crowd, who realized the military rescue operations would soon end. Unfortunately, at 5:36 p.m., an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated a bomb with 20 pounds of explosives and thousands of ball bearings.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense and investigative reports, 13 U.S. service members were killed and approximately 45 were wounded. Over 170 Afghan civilians also perished, with countless others wounded.

Ryan was inflicted with several shrapnel wounds, but it only took one piece of shrapnel to eventually kill him as it made its way to his heart. Yet, it is believed that Ryan crawled to a half-barrier wall after the blast and still fought to stay alive for hours before he succumbed to his injuries.

As a 3-year-old toddler when 9-11 occurred, Ryan finished the fight at 23 years old as being the last military personnel to die in this 20-Year War.

Although the Biden Administration shamefully failed our own at Abbey Gate, our American defenders did not fail to faithfully fulfill their duty. Their willingness to endure the unthinkable and give hope to the helpless displays their profound bravery and devotion.

Those troops and especially the renowned 13, whether they were Marine, Navy, or Army, were the very definition of Semper fidelis – always faithful.

August 26, 2021.

May this day remain etched in our nation’s memory, never to be forgotten or seen as just another ordinary day.

Our Goldstar families and veterans deserve America’s best, because that’s what they gave in service to America. They gave their very best, and some gave all.

(Editor’s note: Whitney wrote this blog alongside Paula Knauss-Selph, mother of the late Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.)

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