Veterans of Oakley

They left Jordan for Kabul with 42 service members and came home with 18.

 

Ghost Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment were at the Abbey Gate of Kabul Airport when a suicide bomber attacked killing dozens of people which included 13 service members and wounding over a dozen more.

 

Ten of the 13 killed were from 2/1 Marines out of Camp Pendleton. Their company commander noted, "we had a third of our entire force to care for in a split second".  The commander wrote that his Marines "were magnificent...Not only in that moment of horror, but throughout an entire week of the most indescribable tragedy one could ever witness".

While the attack quickly overshadowed their mission in terms of coverage, it must be remembered that these Marines were there to evacuate non-combatants. We may have seen the images of utter chaos, babies being handed over barbed wire, and desperate families clawing for freedom but these Marines lived it. In the end, they helped rescue more than 30,000 people.

 

The mother and stepfather of one of the affected Marines have remained in consistent contact to help him through the loss he has experienced. His stepfather, a Benicia fire fighter, expressed to us, "We have seen the affects first hand of what they are going through. They are beat up and still mourn the loss of their brothers as if it happened yesterday. All of them lost a best friend..."

 

Our goal is to help cover travel and holiday costs for these brave young men. They have been through so much and they will never be the same. We want to do everything we can to help them focus on healing instead of the financial stress that comes with being stationed away from their loved ones.

 

Let's help them find joy with their families and loved ones this holiday season.

 

You can make a difference by donating today to Veterans of Oakley.