I wanted to recognize and honor the 13 military members who were killed during the suicide attack in Kabul.
What makes it all the more tragic is how young they are, predominantly between ages 20-23. Their pictures show people full of life, with a love of giving service to their country.
The Marines:
– Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska
– Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming
– Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah
– Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts
– Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California
– Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California
– Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana
– Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas
– Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri
– Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California
– Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California
Navy Corpsman Maxton Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio
Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee
Sgt. Nicole Gee
One of the last Instagram posts from fallen Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee in Kabul, who was killed in the suicide blast. She’s holding a rescued infant.
“I love my job”.
She was 23. RIP. pic.twitter.com/NUmR0KLp2n
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 28, 2021
#RIP U.S. Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23 years old
“She was a Marine’s Marine”https://t.co/XNaqfDVbq6 pic.twitter.com/R37vuZRzmn
— Mike Saccone (@mikesacconetv) August 28, 2021
U.S. Marine Nicole Gee was one of our fallen warriors from the cowardly terrorist attack in Afghanistan.
She recently appeared in photos from Kabul that had been circulated widely on social media.
Fair winds and following seas. pic.twitter.com/bEQHHC13D0
— Travis Akers (@travisakers) August 28, 2021
Gee was a maintenance technician with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Roseville, California. But like others, she was helping with the evacuees at the airport.
‘She cared about people. She loved fiercely. She was a light in this dark world. She was my person,’ said friend and fellow Marine Mallory Harrison in a Facebook post.
‘I find peace knowing that she left this world doing what she loved. She was a Marine’s Marine,’ she said.
‘She was doing God’s work…..a warrior. Searching Afghan women and children trying to get out of country,’ Captain Karen Holliday said in a Facebook tribute.
Holliday called Gee a ‘Model Marine. A leader on the ground in a chaotic situation.’
Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum
Unfortunately, he did what too many before him have done and “gave the last full measure of devotion” to his nation.
With a heavy heart and on behalf of a grateful nation, we mourn for him as he begins his last and eternal watch in heaven.
Semper Fi, Lance Corporal. pic.twitter.com/Cci464m0hO
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) August 28, 2021
Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum was a native of Bondurant, Wyoming, and was married. His wife is expecting a baby in three weeks, his sister, Cheyenne McCollum, said.
“He was so excited to be a dad, and he was going to be a great dad,” McCollum said. She said her brother “was a Marine before he knew he was allowed to be a Marine … He’d carry around his toy rifle and wear his sister’s pink princess snow boots and he’d either be hunting or he was a Marine. Sometimes it would be with nothing on underneath, just a T-shirt.”
McCollum said her brother wanted to be a history teacher and a wrestling coach once he completed his service.
Cpl. Daegan Page
BREAKING: Family members confirm that 23-year-old Omaha Marine Corporal Daegan Page was among those killed in Kabul yesterday. My heart is broken for his family and friends. @KETV pic.twitter.com/w7LjTRYDMf
— Abbie Petersen (@AbbieKETV) August 27, 2021
“He loved hunting and spending time outdoors with his dad, as well as being out on the water,” the family said. “He was also an animal lover with a soft spot in his heart for dogs.”
Page joined the US Marine Corps after graduating from Millard South High School, the statement added.
He was a longtime Boy Scout and “he enjoyed playing hockey for Omaha Westside in the Omaha Hockey Club and was a diehard Chicago Blackhawks fan.”
Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover Jr.
Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover is one of the Marines killed in Afghanistan yesterday. He’s from Utah. His father told me he was one of the best people you could ever know and is proud of him for doing an incredibly tough job with honor. pic.twitter.com/tTsmlWmLS8
— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) August 28, 2021
American flags have been placed outside the Hoover family home, as well as several in the neighborhood. Staff Sgt. Hoover’s father agreed to do an interview with me. He said he wants people to know who his son is and how much he loved serving our country 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0DEhtutS4i
— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) August 28, 2021
SSgt Darin Taylor Hoover was the senior Marine killed in the explosion in Kabul this week. In 2011-12, he was one of my lance corporals in 3/7 in Afghanistan; we walked several patrols together with Lima 3-2 in Sangin. pic.twitter.com/TqOCRfBDyO
— S.W.B. Folsom (@SWBFolsom) August 28, 2021
“Soooooo glad I got to see him before he left. I love you son!!! You’re my hero!! Please check in on us once in a while. I’ll try to make you proud!!” Hoover’s father, Darin Hoover, posted on Facebook.
“My handsome nephew, Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover. Taylor spent his entire adult life as a Marine, serving. Doing the hard things that most of us can’t do. He is a hero,” Jeremy Soto, an uncle, posted. “We are wounded. We are bruised. We are angry. We are crushed. … but we remain faithful.”
“Always a smile. Always respectful. A joy to be around. He is adored beyond measure. The world has lost a true light. Our hearts are broken. Shock, disbelief, horror, sadness, sorrow, anger and grief,” Brittany Jones Barnett, an aunt, posted. “Thank you sweet boy for the ultimate sacrifice. For giving your life for us all. Fighting for freedom and giving absolutely everything you had. You will never ever be forgotten. We love you so much.”
Cpl. Hunter Lopez
NEW: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco reports that one of the Marines killed in Afghanistan is Hunter Lopez, the son of a Captain and a deputy in the department. Prior to the Marines, Sheriff Bianco says Lopez served in the Sheriff’s Explorer program. RIP. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/q3trm1XLFX
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 27, 2021
Both Lopez’s parents served in the Riverside Sheriff’s Office. He’d previously been an Explorer there, and he wanted to work there as a SWAT officer after his Marine duty.
Corporal Hunter Lopez’s mom, an RSO deputy, tells me his last act of service was bringing this little boy in Afghanistan to safety … carried him on his shoulders for five miles. He is the epitome of hero. pic.twitter.com/xqCrEJlCV1
— Kitty Alvarado NBC (@HeyKitty) August 28, 2021
Beautiful hero, son of heroes & the Coachella Valley. Just 22 years old … with grit and character beyond his years. He wanted to be a Marine since he was 10 y/o. Dreamed of @oakley naming a pair of glasses after him HUNTER with profits going to charity. pic.twitter.com/qFPdYtrlNJ
— Kitty Alvarado NBC (@HeyKitty) August 28, 2021
Cpl. Humberto Sanchez
U.S. Marine Corporal Humberto Sanchez was one of our fallen warriors from the cowardly terrorist attack in Afghanistan.
Sanchez graduated from Logansport High School in Indiana in 2017.
Fair winds and following seas. pic.twitter.com/Iu8NYHZb2Z
— Travis Akers (@travisakers) August 28, 2021
Logansport High School Principal Matt Jones tweeted: “Tough day, Berry Nation- Been thinking a lot about 2017 Logansport Berry and Marine Humberto Sanchez and his family. Thank you for serving our country in uniform and sacrifice.”
Lance Cpl. David Espinoza
Our hearts mourn for the loss of each service member lost in the bombing yesterday. We ache with the families learning their loved ones won't come home. We pray for our Texas hero, Marine David Espinoza from Laredo, Texas, who gave the ultimate sacrifice, rest easy hero. pic.twitter.com/RLEBjZTNNb
— George P. Bush (@georgepbush) August 27, 2021
One of the 13 service members killed in Afghanistan is from Texas according to his family. The parents of Marine David Espinoza says he wanted to be in the military ever since he was young. https://t.co/Ciw6E8irAh
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) August 28, 2021
Congressman Henry Cuellar released a statement following his death stating, “Mr. Espinoza embodied the values of America: grit, dedication, service, and valor. When he joined the military after high school, he did so with the intention of protecting our nation and demonstrating his selfless acts of service,” said Cuellar. “Mr. Espinoza is a hero.”
Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz
Rest In Peace, Jared Schmitz.
Jared, a young Marine from Missouri was in Afghanistan for just two weeks.
His father said he “has never seen a young man train as hard as he did to be the best soldier he can be.” pic.twitter.com/RzSqNtFsRC
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) August 27, 2021
“This was something he always wanted to do and I never seen a young man train as hard as he did to be the best soldier he could be,” Schmitz said.
Speaking of his son, Schmitz broke into tears, “His life meant so much more. I’m so incredibly devastated that I won’t be able to see the man that he was very quickly growing into becoming.”
“Be afraid of our leadership or lack thereof. Pray every day for the soldiers that are putting their lives at risk, doing what they love which is protecting all of us,” Schmitz said as he shared frustration some are feeling as the situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate.
Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola
Was notified last night, that my little brother, Dylan Merola, who was just deployed for over a week, was one of the casualties of the Kabul Airport attack. The news is starting to release his name as the 14th military member to pass away. RIP and say hey to dad & grandma for me pic.twitter.com/rR5wS97sWh
— David Merola (@davidmerolajr) August 28, 2021
Rest In Peace, Dylan Merola.
Dylan was in Kabul for less than two weeks and planned on going to college to study engineering.
“He was one of the best kids ever. Kind. Loving. Giving to every single person. He would give anything for anybody”, his mother said in a statement. pic.twitter.com/nsBXCAktqi
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) August 28, 2021
Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui
U.S. Marine Kareem Nikoui was one of our fallen warriors from the cowardly terrorist attack in Afghanistan.
He was born the same year of the 9/11 attacks.
Kareem would often bring home 10-15 Marines on the weekends and holidays to his parent's house for homecooked meals. pic.twitter.com/ZeWYwD8D7a
— Travis Akers (@travisakers) August 27, 2021
Hours before he was killed, Kareem Nikoui, a 20-year-old Marine, sent his father photos of himself helping a young Afghan boy and girl at the airport in Kabul. 💔
“He was performing a task that was utterly impossible for him to perform."https://t.co/lDiA6SZSbY pic.twitter.com/D7QoJgEAIF
— Chao Deng 邓超 (@Chao_Deng) August 28, 2021
The Marines who came to deliver the news of Kareem’s death were “more choked up than me,” Nikoui’s father said. “I was actually trying to console them. But at the same time, I just wanted them to get out as soon as possible so that no one from my family came back and saw them. I thought it appropriate that I be able to tell them.”
Kareem “loved what he was doing, he always wanted to be a Marine,” said Nikoui, noting that his son had been stationed close to home, at Camp Pendleton. This made it easy for Kareem to visit on weekends, and he often brought along “10 or 15 other Marines” with him. When the holidays rolled around, Kareem always brought a few buddies with him for a home-cooked meal, according to Nikoui.
Nikoui believed that President Donald Trump didn’t want to send people into harm’s way but he didn’t think Biden had the same approach, as my colleague Bonchie wrote earlier.
“I really believed this guy didn’t want to send people into harm’s way,” he said.
“They sent my son over there as a paper pusher and then had the Taliban outside providing security,” said Nikoui. “I blame my own military leaders… Biden turned his back on him. That’s it.”
Navy Corpsman Max Soviak
RIP Max Soviak. You were a hero. Praying for you and your family. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/mjCnqdoyHN
— M💜lly⁷₁₃ (@jikookluvs13) August 27, 2021
US Navy corpsman Maxton Soviak “was most proud to be a Navy corpsman and a ‘devil doc’ for the Marines,” his parents, Kip and Rachel Soviak, told CNN in a statement.
“His final words to (Rachel) over FaceTime, when he was telling her goodbye was after she told him to be safe and he said ‘Don’t worry mom, my guys got me they won’t let anything happen to me.’ Today she realized that they all just went together,” the statement said.
Edison coach Jim Hall said he most remembered Max Soviak's play in @EdisonSports' 2016 regional final win.
Soviak (27) made 3 huge plays: a sack, a tackle on the edge, and a strip sack.
“Just him out there in the snow, enjoying that moment, is something that I think of a lot.” pic.twitter.com/6scLaHGRiA
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) August 28, 2021
Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss
Breaking news:
A Gibbs High School graduate is among the military members killed in yesterday's attack at the Kabul, Afghanistan airport, his family tells @WBIRRyan Knauss, age 23, loved to laugh, help his wife in her garden and build DIY projects, most recently a greenhouse. pic.twitter.com/CKjDSUOFBs
— Cole Sullivan (@cole_sull) August 27, 2021
“Ryan was the embodiment of an Army Special Operations Forces soldier, a testament to the professionalism of the non-commissioned officer corps, and a steadfast husband and teammate. His loss is devastating to our formation and Army family.” –@8thPSYOPgroup’s Col. Jeremy Mushtare
— 1st Special Forces Command (@1st_SF_Command) August 28, 2021
Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo
Rest In Peace, Johanny Rosario.
Sgt. Rosario was a Marine from Lawrence, Massachusetts.
In May, she was honored by her unit, the Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. pic.twitter.com/qEmd3DoxSI
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) August 28, 2021
Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo served for six-and-a-half years, and was a supply chief for the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. She had even been in the US Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Lawrence High School in Massachusetts. She was helping out screening women and children being admitted to the Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul when she was killed.
Nastassia Hyatt, a former Marine, recalled Rosario helping her through difficult times in a Facebook post.
‘You brought me back to life. Back to life… back to life….’ Hyatt wrote. ‘I wish i could bring you back to life for just one last hug, one last smile, one last nap, one last meal… one last anything.’
‘She the second half of my heart next to my son. Like she’s everything to me. She is the greatest love I’ve ever known in a human besides my son. This one hit hard,’ Hyatt said.
David Espinoza, 20
Nicole Gee, 23
Darin Hoover, 31
Ryan Knauss, 23
Hunter Lopez, 22
Rylee McCollum, 20
Dylan Merola, 20
Kareem Nikoui, 20
Daegan Page, 23
Johanny Rosariopichardo, 25
Humberto Sanchez, 22
Jared Schmitz, 20
Maxton Soviak, 22 pic.twitter.com/9oqmLZoru1— Forces canadiennes aux 🇺🇸 (@FACauxEUA) August 28, 2021
Remember them and their families in your prayers. R.I.P.
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