The first eyewitness account of the HKIA attack

U.S. Marine Major Ben Sutphen recently sat down with CBS Mornings’ David Martin to give the first eyewitness account of the events on Aug. 26. On that day, Through each word and recalled memory, Maj. Sutphen valorized his fellow servicemembers by ensuring that viewers of the interview know they were carrying out their mission.

“The mission was evacuating people. We have to keep that road open. There was not a lot we could change about that situation. It was the mission, and we executed it.” he said.

When the bomb was detonated, Maj. Sutphen stood only about 15-feet away from the explosion.

Gunmen on the rooftops around HKIA

One memory of the day of the HKIA attack offered by Sutphen details the heroic actions of another Marine, who was standing just near him. It was an unknown Marine Corporal who, after noticing gunmen atop the buildings surrounding HKIA, shot back at them despite his injuries.

Sutphen said of the Marine Cpl., “He’s blown off his feet and still has his wits about him. Shot through the shoulder. Immediately recovers his weapon and puts the opposing gunmen down.”

This story prompted the interviewer to ask of Sutphen, “If the had just opened fire without you firing back, what would have happened?”

“Without a doubt, many more Marine and civilian lives would have been lost.” Sutphen immediately replied.

“Another corporal, with substantial blast injuries to his lungs, and internal organs, still has enough grit and courage, at risk of his own life, to drag another injured Marine out of harm’s way.” the Maj. recalled of another hero on the ground that day.

A description of the bomber

Sutphen relayed to Martin that on the day of the bombing at HKIA, the servicemembers there were well aware of a potential attack. He said that they even had a description of the suspected bomber before the attack occurred.

“The day of the attack, we had gotten probably the most direct indications of a threat at the Abbey Gate and an individual to look out for. So, we made sure that information was passed to our Marine Snipers and the Marines on location.” Sutphen recalled of their information leading up to the attack.

This led Martin to question whether that description helped, or if the situation was too complex for it to have. “How difficult would it be to pick out one person who you have a description of?” he asked.

“I would say next to impossible. In crowds of 1000s, tightly-packed, shoulder-to-shoulder, chest-to-chest. I mean, this was a very dense crowd.” Sutphen remarked.

Luckily, despite the chaos and confusion, and the eventual attack, Sutphen managed to escape with his life intact. Others were not so lucky; 13 servicemembers died in the attack and an estimated 170 Afghan civilians did as well.

One of the best ways to remember those who fell to this brutal attack is by sharing the stories of that day. Stories of sacrifice, and of unfortunate outcomes, while they are hard to hear, give all of us who were not there the most accurate depiction of what actually happened.