Mark Schmitz, Gold Star father of Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, said he was ecstatic over the Pentagon’s April 22 decision to upgrade valor awards for seven Marines at Abbey Gate, but acknowledged it is just a step in the right direction.
The upgrades recognize the extreme risks taken by Marines from Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines as they held Abbey Gate during the chaotic final days of the 2021 Kabul evacuation. A suicide bomber struck on Aug. 26, 2021, killing 13 U.S. service members, including Jared, injuring 47 American service members, and killing more than 170 Afghans.
“I’m ecstatic,” Schmitz told Military.com. He added:
The troops undertook an impossible mission and succeeded far more than we could ever imagine.
He hopes the review continues. “I hope they dig deeper and find more than the seven, but it’s a start,” Schmitz said. “To me, every single Marine that was on the ground there is a hero in my book.”
Marine Who Always Protected Others
Jared Schmitz knew he wanted to wear the Marine uniform from the time he was 8 years old. “Before he was a Marine, he was a son, a brother, a friend, a classmate … He was the kid who filled any room with laughter.” Mark offered.
“He always took care of other kids and protected them from bullies,” his father recalled. “When he got into high school, his aspirations for joining the Marine Corps accelerated. I asked him why he wanted to be a Marine — he wanted to be challenged.”
That drive never faded. Jared deployed first to Jordan, excited to serve overseas. When orders sent him to Afghanistan for the noncombatant evacuation operation, he stayed in regular contact with his dad.
Schmitz said the Marines at Abbey Gate faced overwhelming chaos as thousands tried to reach safety. “They put him on the Abbey Gate. He was out there the entire time,” he said. “It was a tight-knit group of guys.”
Just before he deployed, Jared sent his father a message he still carries with him:
Dad… don’t worry about me. My guys have got my six which means they would die for me, and I would die for them.
Mark added: “That’s the kind of brotherhood Marines live by—and exactly what played out at Abbey Gate.”The Marines’ efforts left a lasting mark. Schmitz met a young woman his son had personally escorted through the gate. That moment brought home the human cost and impact of their work.
Still Seeking Answers About That Day
Schmitz said he keeps receiving conflicting information about his son’s exact location and activity at the moment of the blast.
“Did he have any last words? What was he doing?” he asked.
We’ve heard three reports that are completely different.
He remains hopeful that anyone who was at the scene might one day be able to share more details with him. Schmitz said he is also looking to the upcoming fourth report from the Pentagon on the Afghan withdrawal to shed additional light on everything that happened.
Generational Legacy of Service
Schmitz finds deep meaning in the lives saved that day.
“If you look at the numbers of the people they got out of there—if you fast-forward this another few generations—it’ll skyrocket how many people our service members affected,” he said. “Families that will now grow that otherwise wouldn’t have. People alive that otherwise wouldn’t be. Babies are born, people are getting married.”
He believes those rescued, and the generations that follow, stand as proof that the Marines’ sacrifice mattered.
Turning Grief Into Healing at Freedom 13
Jared’s father stated: “When you lose a child, your world stops … And you are left with a question that no parent should ever have to ask: ‘How do we make sure his life and legacy live on?’ For our family, that answer became the Freedom 13.”That same spirit of service now lives on through The Freedom 13, the nonprofit Schmitz founded to honor all 13 fallen service members. The group is building a 171-acre recreational mental health healing camp in Bourbon, Missouri, for veterans, law enforcement officers and Gold Star families.
Guests stay in one of 13 planned homes for a week at a time. The safe space lets them rest, forge new friendships, build camaraderie and heal together.
Schmitz sees the recent award upgrades as fresh momentum for the mission.
How to Get Involved
The Freedom 13 camp hosts volunteer days on the second Saturday of most months. This May, two work days are scheduled (May 9 and May 30) to prepare trails ahead of a major event. Water and lunch are provided. Volunteers typically work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The highlight comes June 6 with the Freedom Backyard Ultra Marathon at the Missouri Freedom Camp, located at 5992 State Rte C, Bourbon, Mo. 65441. The last-person-standing race consists of 4.16-mile loops. Runners must complete each loop within one hour before the next begins. Check-ins start at 6 a.m. with the race beginning at 8 a.m.
Active-duty troops, veterans and military families interested in volunteering, racing, or visiting the camp can learn more at The Freedom 13’s website. Private tours are also available by request.
Schmitz continues to honor his son by creating the kind of place where service members can take a knee, connect and keep moving forward—exactly the legacy Jared lived.
For more on the Abbey Gate award upgrades, see Military.com’s earlier coverage. To support The Freedom 13 or learn about upcoming events, visit thefreedom13.org.
