Hi, I'm Nicole Wiley, membership editor here at War on the Rocks, and you're listening to a special, free episode of Marine Pulse, one of our members-only shows, for Marines by Marines.

The Marines that you'll hear from in this episode

were at Hamid Karzai International Airport

during the suicide bombing attack on the Abbey Gate,

during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

You're going to hear their raw, unfiltered accounts

of what happened that day, what it was like to be there,

and the lessons learned. We hope that you enjoy this episode, and it was like to be there, and the lessons

learned. We hope that you enjoy this episode, and if you want to hear more like it, you can

become a member by going to War on the Rocks.com slash membership. And with that, here's

former Marine Pulse, a War on the Rocks podcast focused on core wide questions.

My name is Ian Brown, and I'm your host for this episode.

As always, the opinions expressed here are those of the individual

and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Marine Corps, Defense Department,

United States government, or any organization with which the individual may be affiliated.

It's my privilege today to talk to two Marines who were deployed to one of the most challenging

operations that the Corps was given in recent years,

the evacuation of civilians from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan in August of 2021.

Joining me to talk about their experiences are Lee Bowden and Aaron Reap. Lee currently serves as the

explosive ordinance disposal officer for the 12th

Latorial Logistics Battalion, part of the 12th Marine Latorial Regiment based in Okinawa, Japan.

Major Aaron Reap is an infantry officer currently assigned as a Marine Corps legislative liaison

...