Gold Star mother Cheryl Rex and wounded Marine SGT Tyler Vargas-Andrews are both speaking out about the insensitive treatment they received from President Joe Biden when he visited them — revealing that he made every conversation about himself and his late son, Beau Biden.
Vargas-Andrews’ injuries and Rex’s son’s death both came during Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal — specifically the suicide-bomb attack on August 16, 2021, at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. Rex’s son, LCPL Dylan Merola and 12 other American service members were killed during that attack.
While recovering from his wounds in the hospital, Vargas-Andrews was visited by the president, First Lady Jill Biden and their “entourage.” The Marine veteran described the situation during a recent interview — explaining that he had lost his right arm, and his left arm was essentially immobilized in a massive cast with just the tips of his fingers sticking out.
According to Vargas-Andrews, Biden didn’t really greet him when he entered the room — instead grabbing his exposed fingers as if he was trying to shake his hand.
“I was like, ok, that’s weird,” the Marine veteran recalled. “And, you know, almost immediately starts talking, like, about how their son served in the military. Doesn’t say anything about what happened, just talking about how their son served in the military.”
Vargas-Andrews then said that his mother, who was in the room at the time, was “furious” — telling Biden and his entourage that they needed to take care of her son “for the rest of his f—ing life.”
Apparently, the conversation only got more bizarre from there — as the Marine veteran said that Biden then bent over to talk to him and asked, “What do you want?”
“I was confused. I just got blown up, saw my f—ing friends die next to me — I just want to be myself,” Vargas-Andrews recalled, adding that his response appeared to confuse Biden.
He went on to say that the rest of the conversation was brief and everyone avoided discussing the explosion that almost killed him.
Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, a Marine who survived the explosion in Kabul that killed 13 Americans, says that when Joe and Jill Biden came to his hospital room, the president reached out to shake his hand even though his arm was gone, immediately started talking about his son, and… pic.twitter.com/5axewScAPk
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 8, 2023
During a Tuesday forum in California for families of those killed during Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal, Rex recalled a very similar experience to Vargas-Andrews’.
“When Joe Biden, our elected president, came into the room — when he approached me — his words to me were, ‘My wife, Jill and I, know how you feel. We lost our son as well and brought him home in a flag-draped coffin,’” she explained.
“My heart started beating faster, and I started shaking, knowing that their son died from cancer and that they were able to be by his side,” Rex added.
She went on to reveal that she has not received any further correspondence from Biden since that day — nor any indication that he had honored her son’s death or even spoken his name after he died in service of his country during the administration’s disastrous withdrawal.
Mother of Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola who died because of botched Afghanistan withdrawal: “When [Biden] approached me, his words to me were, ‘My wife, Jill & I, know how you feel. We lost our son as well and brought him home in a flag draped coffin’'
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 7, 2023
