Father of Marine Killed in Kabul Says Biden Bristled While Meeting Him
By: Tom Porter (Business Insider)
Bristled. Cool calm and collected is Mr. Biden ................LOL
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Joe Biden at the dignified transfer of the remains of fallen service members at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
- A man whose son was killed in Afghanistan last week described a testy encounter with Joe Biden.
- "Learn their stories," Mark Schmitz recalled telling Biden of those killed, per The Washington Post.
- Thirteen US service members were among more than 100 people killed in the attack.
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The father of a US Marine who was killed in the attack last week at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, said he challenged President Joe Biden to "learn the stories" of the victims at the ceremony where the remains of service members were returned to the US.
Mark Schmitz's son, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, was one of 13 US service members helping to evacuate US citizens and Afghans killed on August 27 in what the Pentagon has said was a suicide bombing by an ISIS affiliate.
The attack killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 US service members.
On Sunday, the remains of the service members were returned to the US in a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, which Biden attended.
Afterward, Biden met with the grieving families in private, including Schmitz.
He told The Washington Post that he initially decided he didn't want to talk to Biden, whose handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal he has blamed for his son's death, but then changed his mind.
Schmitz said Biden spoke of losing his son Beau Biden, an Iraq veteran, to cancer six years ago. But Schmitz said that he wanted to talk about Jared instead and that he and his wife took out a photo of their son to show the president.
"I said: 'Don't you ever forget that name. Don't you ever forget that face. Don't you ever forget the names of the other 12,'" Schmitz told The Post. "'And take some time to learn their stories.'"
But according to Schmitz, the president didn't like that and bristled, replying: "I do know their stories."
Schmitz also relayed details of the encounter with Biden in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity on Monday night.
"It didn't go well," Schmitz said. "He talked a bit more about his own son then he did my son, and that didn't sit well with me."
Biden has said his personal familiarity with tragedy — having lost his first wife and his daughter in a car crash in 1972 and his adult son to cancer decades later — allows him to understand the pain of those grieving the loss of loved ones from the COVID-19 pandemic or in war.
But he has received widespread criticism for his handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which allowed the Taliban to quickly retake power.
Thousands of people clamored to escape the country on flights from Kabul, where the US was left to rely largely on a security perimeter set up around the airport by the Taliban to screen against terrorist attacks.
In an interview with The Daily Beast last week, Steve Nikoui, the father of a US Marine, Kareem Nikoui, who was also killed in last week's attack, expressed anger at Biden.
"They sent my son over there as a paper pusher and then had the Taliban outside providing security," Nikoui said. "I blame my own military leaders."
"Biden turned his back on him," he added. "That's it."
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Why does he always make it about him. Reminds me of someone our members here used to bitch about...............constantly.
Were the dead taking up too much of your time Biden?
Disgusting
He checked his watch more than 4 times. It's tough having to wait for your morning ice cream snackie.
Fucking embarrassment.
The media feasted on George Bush for looking at his watch during a debate in 1992 and used it to symbolize how little Bush cared about voters, leading the country etc..
Biden does it during a ceremony for those killed for our country and the MSM is silent.
Imagine if Trump or any other Republican had done that.
There’s a Kodak moment.
The grieving man went there with the intention to confront Biden. That is about all there is to say about it.
Would you have confronted the person responsible for the death of your son? Or would you shake his hand in thanks?
Biden and his administration along with all Biden voters are responsible for this catastrophe and death of American personnel and the abandoning of American and allies in enemy territory. There is no other way to put that. They are traitors to America and it's people and they all have blood on their hands.
Now its Biden's voters fault too? You people are approaching hysteria.
Why dont you blame the Afghan army for collapsing in less than two weeks (even France in 1940 couldnt accomplish that)?
Why dont you blame the person who made a treaty with a terrorist group requiring all US forces to be pulled out by mid year in 2021 (the previous president)?
Biden takes the responsibility because he is commander in chief, as is always the case. I assume you blamed Reagan when the 241 marines were killed in Lebanon in 1983.
I dont think angry parents confronted Reagan at the airport though, but I could be wrong.
Biden voter did put thie man in office did they not? Guilt by DIRECT association.
Because it was BIDEN that pulled the rug out from under them when he closed Bagram in the middle of the night. It was Americans that trained the Afghanistan military to utilize and depend on AIR POWER when necessary. BIDEN eliminated that. End of story.
Ther is no blame there. That plan was CONDOITIONS based and not running with tail between legs. When the Taliban broke some of those promises, President Trump responded with a MOAB. what did Biden respond with? A white flag of humiliating defeat.
Will Biden take responsibility for innocent Americans HE left behind? Apples and oranges Mr. Russell. And even you know that. That would be like trying to blame 9/11 on Bush.
I see you once again refused to answer a direct question. At least you are consistent. Would you like a second chance?
Second time; Would you have confronted the person responsible for the death of your son?
It is. And by his own admission.
You mean the one that was in plan that had both sides working for the withdrawl? The one Biden fucked up all because of who worked out this working plan.
Don't call him a "commander". He's a fucking coward that caused the death of 13 servicemembers and an unknown number of American citizens.
That's 40 years ago. Try to keep up.
That's the same argument terrorists use when they kill civilians.
First and foremost, by the use of the term "civilians" you give terrorists a degree of legitimacy that they do not deserve.
Terrorists care nothing about the individual or his/her affiliation. All they want to do is create fear and use that to intimidate and control others. Nothing more.
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You go, Hallux!
Where the hell have you been the last 5 and half years plus?
The left have blamed those that voted for Trump for literally everything that has gone wrong in the country. Deplorables ring a bell? How about trying to tie every last person that voted for Trump with far alt right white supremacist groups? Or the latest leftist fallacy trying to claim any that voted for Trump is guilty of backing sedition.
Of course you just did what you accused someone else of.
Trying to tie the person's statement to terrorists. Guilt by association after all. Of course he never threatened to kill anyone; only you brought that up. It must just be how the left works.
Hell the country. The entire world.
Let's face it. Anything Trump did they were against. Not because it benefitted America, but because Trump did it.
Let me see if I can jog my memory ...
2014 building a cottage with my brothers
2015 was triple bypass
2016-17 was renovating my residence
2018 was the last romp with a gal
2019 was brain surgery
2020 was the Age of Recuperation
... and now here I am commenting to yet one more from the muddle of muggles.
Glad you've recovered so well. I had CABGx3 a few years before yours.
I do have visions, mostly of pushing up daisies and Just Jim has been kind enough to pen my epitaph.
...Skirting the CoC [Perrie Halpern R.A.]
Just peeking under it Perrie.
You have no idea why he went there...so you should just STFU about it.
He went on the Sean Hannity show to complain about the president. His intentions are/were clear.
I think it would have been better if Biden had not brought up his son Beau again (he does do it too much) , but does it mean he doesnt care about the 13 dead from last week? Of course not. Now the father has disrupted his own son's ceremony in order to make it political. It's sad but not surprising.
What is sad and pathetic is you attacking a grieving Gold Star parent.
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I didnt attack him, I said he intended to confront Biden. Or was it an accident?
So Biden mentioned his son Beau? Did that compel this man to go on Fox News Sean Hannity to try and belittle the president?
Biden does that personally quite well himself.
Sure you didn't, [deleted]
Good thing I dont give a fuck about your opinion of anything then, isnt it?
Then why respond [removed?] Say that shit to the Gold Star Parent's face [deleted.]
Was that the only reason? Here's the interview. He said a lot more.
I would not interfere with a parents grief. I have more class than that. If I knew the person maybe at a later date I would ask him why he took it to Fox News.
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Removed for context
Biden doesn't need anyone's help to accomplish that. He's the laughingstock of millions of people, both nationally and internationally.
Kathleen , do you believe that President Biden looked at his watch 13 times during the ceremony yesterday? because that is exactly what one of the gold star fathers said to sean hannity last night.
do you believe that the president looked at his watch 13 times during that ceremony?
if not, why did the father say it ?
That’s for sure…
No John, the grieving man went there to see his sons body being brought home!
Really? Neither the seeded article nor Mr. Schmitz's interviews state that he "went there with the intention to confront Biden".
While tragic in their own ways, Biden talking about the deaths of his wife, daughter, and son from an accident and illness were highly inappropriate during a military ceremony that's meant to receive the remains of those who lost their lives during war.
Joe Biden does this every time. Biden had his time to grieve. He doesn't need to make the family's loss about Joe Biden's loss. It's extraordinarily insensitive to play one-upsmanship with grieving families.
The only thing Joe Biden proves by talking about himself with grieving families is that Joe Biden is an insensitive prick.
Biden is also a self indulgent narcissist politician who has to be the center of attention. I'm guessing that by bringing his late son up, it makes him more acceptable to the grieving parents. Problem is that according to the families there was zero empathy in his eyes or voice, and those parents saw right through his pathetic ploy.
Schmitz went there to see his son. It’s incredible to watch the people who gave so much oxygen to Khizr Khan twist it into something else.
having lost his first wife and his daughter in a car crash in 1972
Hopefully, he avoided lying about this and making up a story about how the other driver "drank his lunch,." as he has in the past.
Unless he's plagiarized it, Joe Biden doesn't have a credible fact-based history.
He's a decades-long, incompetent politician whose poll numbers are (again) swirling down the toilet. His Marxist handlers are scared and obviously told him that ingratiating himself to the grieving families by portraying himself as I've lost children, too would boost his ratings.
As usual, it backfired, because while on the tarmac, clueless Joe didn't have his ever-present note cards and people telling him what to do and when to do it. "Doctor" Jill couldn't help him, because she had to fake being a concerned, empathetic first lady.
So, he continually checked his watch and in some cases, spent less than 3 minutes with a grieving parent so he could get out of there and run back to the protective safety of his cocoon.
Essentially every person in his administration and out of course. They are all the retreads from the Obama administration. It's odd that no one seems to remember that Obama had grandparents at an early age that were in fact communists. And we all know the early years are the most formative.
Biden's presence at this week's ceremony reminded me of his attendance at Obama's 2012 transfer of Benghazi heroes' remains ceremony. A "grieving" Obama, Biden, Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice lied to those families and the American/global public and thought that Americans were stupid and that they could get away with those lies.
Many DO remember and know that Obama is still a strong political force. He and his Marxist/Communist associates and funders have achieved his 3rd term in order to continue his transformation of America.
Many are. They did vote for Biden after all.
Exactly right!
Where do you come up with this nonsense? Are you aware that there are wikipedia pages for both of Obamas maternal grandparents? The grandmother was the vice president of a bank and the father worked as a salesman for a furniture store. Not really communist fodder.
Madelyn Dunham - Wikipedia
Stanley Armour Dunham - Wikipedia
Your nonsense is a good example of why sensible people pay little attention to what the right says.
Wikipedia pages of Obama's maternal grandparents and mother have been scrubbed of their alliances with the Communist Frank Marshall Davis.
Frank Davis Marshall isnt mentioned on their wikipedia pages for the same reason that none of their other friends in Hawaii arent either. Its not relevant.
Obamas grandparents were not communists.
BTW, when is Barack Obama going to turn commie? He's 60 years old now, and somewhat running out of time. He spent 8 years as president as a centrist. If he was a commie wannabe wouldnt it have shown up by now?
John, in case you haven't noticed, this article's topic is about Joe Biden and his demeanor when he met with Gold Star families this week. It isn't about Obama or whatever other deflections people have made in order to not discuss Biden's failures.
Perhaps he's finally starting to enjoy the benefits of capitalism ?😆
I didnt bring up the topic of Obamas grandparents.
Here's how caring Biden was to Lance Cpl Rylee McCollum's family. He again spoke about HIS son, instead of focusing on THEIR loss and listening to what they wanted to share ...
Instead of being consoler in chief, Biden is a shameful, arrogant, failure.
It gets worse….
She is a pig.
I can understand many things about this situation .
But it is up to those people , the loved ones and the parents to decide if they wish to meet anyone during the repatriation of their loved ones , not anyone else , they are not there for a partisan photo op , they are there to bring their deceased love one home , and frankly , they have a lot more on their minds and questions no scripted little speech will answer and i doubt anyone could answer to their satisfaction.
They will have to come to that themselves .
keep in mind , those parents especially are in the middle of a very UN natural act for most of them , even if they knew it could happen , kids are suppose to outlive their parents , not the other way around .
i will cut these people all the slack i can, let them deal with their grief as THEY see fit , not some politician , acting by rote because that is whats "suppose" to be done with a "canned " reaction .