Folsom Marine veteran who survived Kabul airport bombing fights for accountability 5 years later

More than five years after a suicide bombing at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, that nearly took his life, retired Marine Sergeant Tyler Vargas-Andrews is still living with the physical and emotional wounds of that day.

But the Folsom veteran says he has no regrets about serving his country — even knowing what he would endure, he says he would do it all again with pride. 

"You can never train too hard for a job that can kill you. We lived and breathed it every single day," said Vargas-Andrews. 

He was critically injured in the August 26, 2021, bombing at Abbey Gate during the chaotic final days of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The attack killed 13 American service members, including fellow Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee of Roseville. 

Vargas-Andrews lost his right arm and left leg in the blast. Since then, he has undergone nearly 50 surgeries as he continues his recovery.

Yet his commitment to service, he says, has never stopped — though it might look different today. 

A day that changed everything

As a Marine Corps sniper, Vargas-Andrews was on the ground at Abbey Gate helping with the evacuation effort, which ultimately helped more than 100,000 people leave Afghanistan and escape to freedom. 

"The entire world at that point was already watching Afghanistan start to collapse," Vargas-Andrews said. 

He described the conditions as overwhelming, with thousands of people packed shoulder to shoulder, desperately trying to escape the country.

"The best way to describe it is if I filled up this room with sand, that's how many people there were," he recalled. "Just people shoulder to shoulder, holding babies over their heads so they didn't suffocate to death."

On August 26, 2021, Vargas-Andrews was helping an interpreter evacuate when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device nearby.

The blast left him critically wounded. He tried to crawl from where he woke up on the ground at the airport and could not move. He remembers every nerve ending in his body feeling like it was on fire. 

"The trauma of the blast started to overwhelm me. And I'm like, losing consciousness," he said. 

In those moments, he made peace with dying. Then he heard a fellow Marine calling his name.

"I hear my team leader screaming my name, and he's like, 'Tyler, Tyler! I'm coming, buddy, I'm coming.' And it snapped me to, sending life back into my body, quite literally. I was like, I'm not going to die here." 

His survival, though, came at an enormous cost.

The physical and emotional wounds of war

Since the bombing, Vargas-Andrews has faced a long road to recovery, including nearly 50 surgeries. At the time of our interview, he was just 10 days removed from his most recent operation to help heal his damaged digestive tract. 

While the physical injuries have required years of treatment and adjustment, he says the emotional wounds can be even harder to navigate.

"It's the physical stuff you learn to live with, but it's the mental wounds that get people, whether they're physically wounded or not," he said.

Among those killed in the attack was Sergeant Nicole Gee, a fellow Marine from Roseville.

For Vargas-Andrews, remembering those who never made it home is part of what keeps him moving forward.

"The greatest way that we can honor those who aren't here with us anymore is by living our lives to the absolute fullest," he said. "I have never stopped living." 

Still pushing for accountability

Vargas-Andrews returned home to a hero's welcome in Folsom in 2022, greeted by cheers from a community proud of his service and sacrifice.

Since then, he has used his voice to push for answers about what happened in Kabul.

He has even testified before Congress in 2023, describing the circumstances surrounding the evacuation and raising concerns about the military decisions that led to the deadly attack.

He says the situation was nearly unimaginable. 

"Almost unbelievable is what I would say," he said. "No Marines have seen a situation like that at the time, since Saigon, since Vietnam. And that was the last time that a massive evacuation and failure like that had happened."

Vargas-Andrews told CBS13 he continues to carry frustration that no one in the U.S. government or military has been disciplined for what happened that day.

"We're a little over five years past it now, and still no one has been held accountable for it. And the truth has been told, but a lot of it has been swept under the rug," he said. 

In August 2026, the Department of Defense said its investigation remains open and ongoing as officials examine why certain decisions were made.

For Vargas-Andrews, the pursuit of accountability remains an important part of honoring those who lost their lives.

A message to veterans: Be proud of your service

Despite everything he has endured, Vargas-Andrews says he would still serve his country again and chooses to serve his country still, through his own advocacy for veterans and those with disabilities. 

And on Veterans Day, he has a message for other veterans who may be struggling to find their footing after leaving the military.

He says purpose and passion can still be found beyond the uniform, even through the most difficult experiences.

"Through the struggle and the sacrifice, you can find greatness and you can find purpose, and you can find passion for things outside of the uniform," he said. 

"It's just knowing that life is worth living. And for any veteran out there listening, happy Veterans Day. But, to add to that, be proud of your service."