The U.S. government has warned a Virginia judge that allowing a U.S. Marine to keep an Afghan war orphan risks violating international law, The military's top unit award was approved for some of the mission's participants. On Aug. 26, 2021, a suicide attack in Kabul killed 11 Marines, one Navy corpsman and one soldier, and approximately 170 Afghan civilians. Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum was killed at age 20 during the 2021 suicide attack in Kabul. The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S and NATO forces withdrew from the country after more than two decades of war. When the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021, it carried tens of thousands of Afghans to safety. Many are still waiting to be resettled. Airmen will need to fly longer, triage more illnesses and injuries in midair and work more closely with their international partners than ever before. The State Department "ordered the temporary departure of non-emergency personnel and eligible family members from Niger" because of a coup. Master Sgt. Kevin Haunschild, Military Times' 2023 Marine of the Year, controlled air traffic for the largest noncombatant evacuation in military history. Maj. Katie Lunning, Military Times' 2023 Airman of the Year, helped saved dozens of lives during the evacuation of Afghanistan as a critical care nurse. Load More