Abbey Gate! U.S. Marines! That was what a Gold Star father yelled at Joe Biden during his State of the Union speech last night. A speech I might add that was supposed to be about his successes and Afghanistan was conspicuously absent from that list.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had invited Gold Star families to last night’s speech. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson tells ABC News that his guests at Thursday’s State of the Union address will include Gold Star parents who lost children in the Kabul airport bombing during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

“President Biden’s hasty, unconditional withdrawal from Afghanistan was a failure for America and its allies. It led to the tragic deaths of brave American servicemembers, including Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover and Cpl. Hunter Lopez,” Johnson said in a statement to ABC News, echoing election-year arguments made by many Republicans.

Joe Biden supposedly was going to list all his accomplishments during last night’s speech. It didn’t happen that way, at all. Instead it was an angry old man yelling at all the clouds. That said, as I note above, Afghanistan, nor the attack on Abbey Gate, were worthy of mention.

For the last three SOTU speeches, Joe Biden REFUSED to say the names of the 13 U.S. servicemembers who were killed by his disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.

I couldn’t support this effort more. Say their names! #SOTU2024 https://t.co/eld0j0RVi5

— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) March 8, 2024

Why? Because no matter the spin, EVERYONE in the Biden Administration knows that the Afghanistan withdrawal was an abject and deadly failure leading to the deaths of 13 American soldiers and injuring countless others. 

Instead, the only thing Joe talked about militarily is how fabulous it will be that our troops will build a port in…GAZA!! 

Tonight, I’m directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters.

No U.S. boots will be on the ground.

This temporary pier would enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.

How absolutely infuriating.

Make this make sense: Biden will not build a wall at OUR southern border, but he will build Hamas terrorists new critical infrastructure. #AmericaLast

— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) March 8, 2024

This will be led by the same generals and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, whose gotten a free pass for going AWOL for over a month due to his medical issues, who were the architects of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. One that left billions of dollars of military hardware behind, Americans trapped, the Taliban taking the country over, and 13 American soldiers dead.

Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui was one of those soldiers that day. When the bomb went off at Abbey Gate, Nikoui was one of those killed in the blast.

Joe Biden gets heckled by Gold Star Father Steve Nikoui.

His son, Lance Col. Kareem Nikoui, was killed by a terrorist suicide bomber during Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/3BGGNguO6c

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 8, 2024

There were thirteen American families in shock and mourning while Joe Biden checked his watch multiple times during the dignified transfer at Dover. A year later, the Nikoui family was still trying to adjust to Kareem’s death when his brother, Dakota, killed himself.

Shana Chappell sits on the grass in front of the tombstone, not sure where to look.

It’s the grave for her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, killed almost a year ago in a terror attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, as American forces left the country.

And next to it, a yellow flag marks the location for another grave, for another son.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen that,” Chappell remarked of the flag, her voice seeming stoic, held steady by the shock of losing two sons in the space of one year.

To this day, from Biden to the DOD and State Department, everything about the Afghanistan withdrawal went totally according to plan. Those left behind? The students, families, musicians and artists? MEH. The Gold Star families? Any concern for them? ZERO.

CNN anchor left STUNNED when gold star mom says that Biden has NEVER reached out to her family about her daughter-in-law's death.

CNN: "He's often called the 'Consoler in Chief.' He does talk to families who've lost loved ones…Have you experienced that from him?"

Christy… pic.twitter.com/apPQiMyMSd

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 7, 2024

That CNN reporter really didn’t know what to do with herself at that point. That said, is anyone really surprised that Joe nor anyone else in the White House could be bothered to engage with any Gold Star families? I’m not.

I am honored to have Steve Nikoui as my guest to #SOTU. He is the father of LCpl. Kareem Nikoui, who was KIA due to Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.@JoeBiden may try to turn the page on Afghanistan after his incompetence cost American lives, but NOT ON MY WATCH. pic.twitter.com/wE3uKrMlEa

— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) March 7, 2024

You know, I can understand why Nikoui was upset.

The guest of Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) was clearly upset that Biden has failed to console families who want the president to acknowledge their loss. But Biden has been reluctant to do so, as his poll numbers took a nosedive after the swift fall of Kabul following America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan.

He yelled Abbey Gate at the point when Joe was claiming he’s worked hard to keep Americans safe. And, the opposite is true.

This was how one media outlet described Steve Nikoui’s heckling last night. 

What is Abbey Gate? Heckler thrown out of State of the Union for screaming about deadly attack

As if we were all hiding under rocks just a couple of years ago. Not hardly. Remember, Joe didn’t talk about Afghanistan at all in his speech. But the withdrawal was supposedly an amazing success! 

It had to have been supremely frustrating and infuriating to have Joe Biden ignore what happened at Abbey Gate, while gleefully touting that building a port in Gaza was going to be AWESOME and no troops would set foot on Gaza shores. 

Abbey Gate must be remembered. Our fallen soldiers and those who fought with them should be honored and respected. Joe has done none of that to this day. I’m with Steve Nikoui, remember and say his name. 

Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui

Feature Photo Credit: military boots, dog tags, flag royalty free 1392591209 via Shutterstock, cropped and modified