Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a survivor of the Abbey Gate bombing, shared insights on ‘The Big Weekend Show’ about the challenges faced by U.S. Marines during the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan. He highlighted the lack of preparation and support that forced Marines to manage overwhelming crowds at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Vargas-Andrews, who suffered severe injuries in the August 26, 2021, suicide bombing, described how Marines had to adapt on the ground despite leadership warnings about the potential dangers of the evacuation. He stressed that although Marines are trained to adapt and overcome challenges, the situation left them improvising continuously.
“Everything we were doing while we were there was like figuring it out on the go,” said Vargas-Andrews. He emphasized that the support was lacking. “We were giving [the refugees] our food. We were giving them our water. There was no tent set up to process refugees.”
The situation resembled scenes from the film ‘World War Z.’ Thousands of people surrounded the airport, making the task feel overwhelming. Vargas-Andrews noted that better preparation should have been made in the weeks and months before, a decision that never materialized.
Despite receiving intelligence of a possible threat, nothing was done to prevent it. Vargas-Andrews did not blame any single entity but pointed to various administrations and organizations for decades of poor judgment. He acknowledged the recent recognition by the Department of War of the Marines who served during the evacuation but urged that there still needs to be accountability.
Overall, he expressed hope that these steps are in the right direction, while emphasizing that essential actions have yet to occur.