Life and Death at Abbey Gate: The Fall of Afghanistan and the Operation to Save our Allies

by Mikael Cook, Robert Conlin

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.

Relying on cell phones and satellites as their weapons, they worked feverishly around the clock to help evacuate as many Afghans who had supported U.S. troops over the past twenty years as possible. As the desperate mass of Afghans tried to flee brutal Taliban rule, Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, worked at Hamid Karzai International Airport's Abbey Gate in conditions that brought combat-hardened veterans to tears. After an ISIS suicide bomber detonated his S-vest, killing 13 U.S. service members, operations came to a halt.

Told through the eyes of Mikael, his Afghan friend Abdul and the 2/1 Marines on the ground, including a Marine squad leader who personally led the Afghans through the airport, 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.

This is an important story that should be read by all Americans. A story of leadership, empty government promises and the convictions of our military to stand by our allies in their time of need.

Table of Contents

Prologue–Abbey Gate, HKIA
Preface—Who Was #DigitalDunkirk

1 At Home in Michigan
2 An Ann Arbor Childhood
3 Basic Training
4 Deployment
5 A Kabul Childhood
6 Early Summer 2021
7 2/1 Marines Make Their Way to HKIA
8 Set Sail—Pre Evac
9 Abbey Gate
10 Team Wins–Getting Them Out
11 The Blast
12 The Mission Continues—The Paiman Rescue
13 The Aftermath

192 pages, Paperback

Published February 15, 2024

Reviews

[Nick]

Mikael Cook tells a very personal story about his involvement in the extraction of the families of US Afghan allies. Mikael recounts the horrendous events these families had to undergo in order to escape what would have been a horrible life under Taliban rule. It didn't have to be that way, but I don't want to dwell on the failures of the US Government. The spotlight needs to be on those Afghan families and the Americans that helped them escape, and those that lost their lives in the process. Really a great read from start to finish.

[Josh]

A true testament to the possibility of miracles through grit, and the resilience of a few determined Americans who refuse to quit despite obstacle and nearly impossible odds on a personal mission to save the lives of U.S. allies and their families. Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Mikael Cook shows unconventional heroism and persistence, connecting with uniquely talented people capable of making a difference.

Mikael's accounting of the horror experienced at Abbey Gate, the incredible obstacles faced by Marines in the field, the remote community of #DigitalDunkirk, and the families that were saved left me chilled to the bone. It's truly inspiring what a small group of people unwilling to accept the bureaucratic failure to do what's right were able to accomplish. This book and the people written about within it portray true honor and are deserving of immense respect and adoration. You will not be disappointed!

[Chaison Leavitt]

Mar 2025- “A few yards left or right, a few minutes before or after, the right color document at the right time; the hand of fate dealt some cruel cards at Abbey Gate.”

The events of Operation Allies Refuge in Afghanistan in 2021 cut deep for me and probably every other Marine who had brothers there. I didn’t take part in OAR, but I was called up for Operation Allies Welcome stateside, where I and my fellow Marines interacted with many Afghan refugees who had just fled their homes in Afghanistan not many months before. I share the same sentiment for those boots on the ground, as well as those who worked hard across the world to save our allies from being left behind.

This is a hard read. There were many preventable events leading up to the deaths of thirteen American servicemen and hundreds of innocent Afghan civilians. I’m grateful to Mikael Cook and Robert Conlin for getting this book out there. We can’t just forget the efforts of servicemen over twenty years to help make a country a better place for its people, nor can we forget the hundreds of heroes who worked tirelessly to make the best of a really shitty evacuation situation.

[Books Behind The Badge]

This is the tale of Mikaels' participation in the Digital Dunkirk. The hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan left tens of thousands of Afghan allies and their families in imminent danger from the Taliban. Mikael could not sit by idly while the friends he made overseas were abandoned. He took a hands-on approach and joined various others to find routes out of Afghanistan for his friends and their families.

This is an emotional story that outlines atrocious happenings during the withdrawal. To include the conditions from those boots on the ground. All the way to the blatant disregard for those who spent years aiding the American military overseas. The bureaucratic machine that is the US government did not prepare for the inevitable pleas of help from those who helped us.

This is an incredibly sad tale with some happy twists. Mikael was successful after many sleepless nights to help his friends. Unfortunately, many more were left stranded due to circumstances out of the control of the volunteers trying to help. I definitely recommend this book. It's written well and eye-opening.

[Christopher Houben]

Cook’s story of working to secure the survival of our Afghan friends and families, Afghans that put their names and lives on the line to keep Americans safe, had me up all night. As quickly as the coverage of the war in 2021 ended, so did our shameful State Department’s “care” of its obligations and commitments to our foreign partners. Mikael details the #digitaldunkirk effort to evacuate families at the Abbey Gate, and the raw death of those involved in the NEO effort. The fight is not over and the brutally ineffective SIV program lives on, now with its sights set on the post-Russo-Ukraine War. This is mandatory reading for any decision maker, the book is phenomenal. We holistically let our friends down and we can do better.

[Rick Gould]

This is an amazing story but the book is incorrectly titled. Only a couple of chapters cover the actual incident at Abby Gate.
The rest of the book covers the herculean efforts to save allies and afghan civilians is one not to be missed. Very much worth the time to read.

[Julia Chenoweth]

I hoped I’d learn about the Marines at Abbey Gate. Hear backgrounds of the 13 Servicemen who died there. Get more detail into the logistics and struggles of the HKIA evac. Instead this was 70% about the authors experience, which was interesting for the first 30 pages, but the book felt half baked.

[Adam Wilburn]

Great book. A story that needed to be told. Well written, informative, and moving. Read this one! Never forget.

[Christine Renke Weber]

In Mikael’s own words, this was a story that had to be told. I was captivated from beginning to end. Highly recommend, even if, like me, you don’t usually gravitate toward military reads.