Gold Star family members affected by the botched Afghanistan withdrawal criticized Vice President Kamala Harris in videos posted to Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform on Saturday evening. Their response came after Harris called Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery earlier that week a “political stunt.”
Earlier, several families had invited Trump to join them in placing flowers on the graves of fallen service members: Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, Sgt. Nicole Gee, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. Harris later criticized Trump for taking photos with them during the visit. In response, some of the family members issued emotional statements, urging Harris to personally reach out to them.
Christy Shamblin, the mother-in-law of Sergeant Nicole Gee, expressed her frustration in a video message, asking, “Why won’t you return a call and explain to us how you call my daughter-in-law’s death a ‘success’? Why will you not express your condolences yourself? And finally, why would you take a day where we celebrated the death of our loved one and use it to disparage them, but also us?”
Herman Lopez, father of Corporal Hunter Lopez, criticized Harris for her earlier statement that read, “I will always honor the service and sacrifice of all of America’s fallen heroes.” Lopez challenged the sincerity of her words.
Jim McCollum, father of Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum, called Harris’s comments about Trump in Arlington “filled with nothing but lies and deceit.” He directly blamed Harris and President Biden for the tragic events that unfolded during the Afghanistan pullout.
Mark Schmitz, father of Lance Corporal Jared M. Schmitz, called Harris’s claims that she cares about those serving the country an “outright lie.” Similarly, Jaclyn Schmitz, Jared Schmitz’s mother, criticized Harris’s statement as “nothing more than a political spin to help you look better in your presidential campaign against Donald Trump.”
Steve Nikoui, father of Lance Corporal Kareem M. Nikoui, sent a blunt message to Harris: “Your administration killed my son.” Holding up a picture of his son, Nikoui accused the Biden-Harris administration of playing politics with people’s lives and noted that Harris had never reached out to him personally.
Coral Doolittle, mother of Corporal Humberto A. Sanchez, also pushed back against Harris’s comments, calling on her and Biden to meet with the Gold Star families. She insisted, “As a parent, we deserve an explanation, and we deserve the truth of what happened with our kids that day.”
Darin Hoover, father of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, reminded Harris that she was the “last one in the room” when the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was made. He, along with other family members present at Arlington, refuted media reports of an altercation taking place during the ceremony, emphasizing that it was solemn and devoid of any political discussions.