Life and Death at abbey gate
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As the American government began a disastrous mass evacuation of its Afghan allies, a group of American veterans saw the writing on the wall—the people who had supported them on the ground over the past two decades were going to be left behind. Instead of watching on the sideline, they sprang into action. The effort became known nationally as #DigitalDunkirk, in reference to the civilian aspect of the evacuation of soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940. As America's last days in Afghanistan came to a chaotic end, an ad-hoc group of veterans, intelligence assets and legislative aides undertook an extraordinary mission to honor the U.S. battlefield creed to leave no comrade behind.
Told through the eyes of Mikael, his Afghan friend Abdul and the 2/1 Marines on the ground, Life and Death at Abbey Gate tells the story behind the story of the mass evacuation of over 124,000 Americans and Afghan allies during a two-week period in the summer of 2021.
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“The work that people like Mikael did exemplifies the commitment we have to not leave any allies behind, There's lots of work still to be done.”
— United States Senator Richard Blumenthal
“a brutal, honest account by an American veteran of what went wrong and how a few determined people tried to make it right.”
—Sebastian Junger, New York Times best selling author
About Mikael
Mikael Cook is a former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. He holds a master’s degree in business administration, residing and working in Southeast Michigan. During the August 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan, Mikael was a part of the #DigitalDunkirk team that saved thousands of Afghan allies who had been left behind. He was personally responsible for the evacuation of 20 of our allies, most of whom have now joined him in Michigan. Mikael is an active member of the veteran community and continues his advocacy work for the Afghan allies left behind.
