Air Force veteran honors fallen troops with 13 empty seats at Texas Roadhouse

It has been 20 years since American troops set foot on Afghan soil. They fought not only for freedom but also against terror. The military operation came to an end one day earlier than expected, on August 30. Sadly, civilians died while attempting to flee the country. Many more were unable to board any flights that were supposed to transport them to safer destinations.Unfortunately, 13 American service members were killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, just five days before the troops were to leave the country. A 20-year-old marine, born when the war began and died, was killed in the attack.

According to the official Overseas Contingency Operations report’s casualty summary, 20,727 US military members have been wounded, and 2,475 have died in combat since the military operation.As the Taliban took complete control of Afghanistan, the rest of the world watched in disbelief.

Mother of U.S. Marine Rylee McCollum, who died in the Kabul bombing: “all you Democrats… who voted for [Biden], you just killed my son… never would have happened under Trump.” pic.twitter.com/74eZ24jwaE

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) August 28, 2021

As the nation mourned and raged, a veteran from Port St. Lucie, Florida, paid tribute to the 13 soldiers in his unique way. Jordan Vanderflier, an Air Force veteran, booked a table at Texas Roadhouse for 14 people. One of the table’s seats was reserved for him, while the others were reserved for the fallen soldiers.

“At first, I thought, let’s just make do with what we’ve got.” So it was all hands on deck right away, with four of us scrambling to get things done. Rick Kirk, the managing partner of Port St. Lucie’s Texas Roadhouse, said, “We’re pouring beers and setting up the table.

Jordan had previously lost a close friend in Afghanistan. He could empathize with the families of the soldiers who had recently lost a loved one.