‘It doesn’t get any easier. It just gets different’: Abbey Gate gold star families think about legacy on five-year anniversary

Published August 26, 2026 6:00am ET | Updated August 26, 2026 8:12am ET



Five years ago, 13 families had their worst nightmares realized and forever became known as the Abbey Gate gold star families.

One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five days consisting of birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and daily interactions have passed without their loved ones who were killed when an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated a suicide explosive vest that killed 13 U.S. service members and roughly 160 civilians in Kabul, Afghanistan.

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