Gold Star father says prior Afghanistan review smelled ‘like a cover-up’ as new look examines millions of docs

Gold Star father Darin Hoover says a new Pentagon review of the deadly Abbey Gate bombing finally feels different after years of what he described as “crickets” from the Biden administration — but he is still asking whether critical information was deliberately kept from military families and the public.

Hoover, whose son, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin “Taylor” Hoover, was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing during the Afghanistan withdrawal, told Fox News Digital that for years families got little more than a “canned” response.

“For the first three-and-a-half years… we weren’t getting anything from the prior administration. It was crickets,” Hoover said. “The only thing we all got was a canned letter saying how sorry they were. There was not anything individual mentioned about any of the kids.”

Former President Joe Biden checked his watch during the dignified transfer of U.S. service members lost at Abbey Gate, which included 11 Marines, one Army soldier and one Navy sailor.

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His frustration comes as the Pentagon’s Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel says it has completed the substantive phase of interviews with senior military and civilian leaders, and is now preparing findings and recommendations for a final report expected “in the coming months.”

The panel reviewed more than nine million documents, according to chairman Sean Parnell. By contrast, a prior Pentagon review examined roughly 3,000 documents.

Parnell said the earlier review was “significantly narrower in scope” and “over-classified at the highest levels, which effectively kept the most critical and relevant information from public scrutiny.”

That contrast is exactly what has Hoover demanding answers.

“The 3,000 pages… doesn’t even make a ripple,” Hoover said. “Now we’ve got over a million pages being reviewed. Why was everything so top-secret that none of us could see it? They owe us the answers.”

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Asked directly whether he believes key information was withheld, Hoover did not hesitate.

“Yes, absolutely, information was kept from us,” he said.

“That smells exactly like a cover-up,” he added. “What is it that they saw, or what did they feel needed to be hidden so nobody could know what it was?”

A Pentagon spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to a statement from Parnell when asked for comment.

In that statement, Parnell said the panel was established by War Secretary Pete Hegseth at the direction of President Donald Trump “to conduct the most comprehensive military after action review in modern history.”

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He said the panel has interviewed key figures involved in the planning and execution of the withdrawal, including retired Gen. Mark Milley and retired Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., among other senior officials.

“This will be the most thorough, transparent, and honest accounting the American people have received of what happened in August 2021,” Parnell said. “Our purpose is to identify failures in decision-making, so that we may prevent the United States from ever repeating this tragedy.”

Hoover said accountability should mean real consequences for those in command if the new review finds failures.

“If they did something wrong or failed to act, they should no longer be allowed to lead where life and death is at stake,” he said.

“I would love to see pensions taken away… and if possible, I’d love to see people go to jail,” he added.

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He also argued the bombing exposed a broader system failure between civilian and military agencies.

“The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing,” Hoover said. “And it all got stalled somewhere in the middle.”

“And our kids did the best they could with the tools they were given,” he added. “They did a phenomenal job.”

Other official reviews have previously documented breakdowns surrounding the withdrawal. A State Department review found failures in crisis planning and preparation for worst-case scenarios, while Milley later described the evacuation timeline as “too slow and too late.”

Hoover said what makes this moment different is President Trump’s engagement with the families and Hegseth’s promise of a broader accounting.

“He spent 45 minutes with us… gave us his full undivided attention,” Hoover said.

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He added that after years of silence, simply being included now matters. Hoover noted that the trial of the ISIS-K-linked figure accused of giving the final approval for the bomber to detonate is set to begin Monday in Alexandria, and some of the Abbey Gate families plan to attend.

“We’re coming up on Memorial Day,” Hoover said. “Please, please, please remember them. Honor them. Don’t forget how we got here, why we got here and live a life worthy of the sacrifices that have been made.”