US service members killed in Afghanistan airport attack: What we know
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Thirteen U.S. service members were killed in a suicide bombing attack near Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday as thousands sought to flee following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Among them were 11 Marines, according to the Pentagon, plus one Navy hospital corpsman and one Army soldier. At least 18 other U.S. service members were injured, and at least 169 Afghans were also killed.
The Afghan victims included a news agency founder. British officials also said there were two citizens and the child of another citizen among the dead.
President Joe Biden commended the “bravery and sacrifice” of the U.S. military Friday, calling the 13 deaths “tragic” but saying they died for a “worthy mission.”
Names and other details of the service members killed were released by the Department of Defense on Saturday:
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas
- Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California
- Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah
- U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee
- Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, Jackson, Wyoming
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California
- Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska
- Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts
- Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri
- Navy Hospital Corpsman Max W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio
How it happened:Satellite images, graphics, and maps show how fatal airport explosion ripped through Kabul
These are their stories:
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Espinoza
The city of Laredo, Texas, honored one of its own, fallen Marine David Lee Espinoza.
“Thank you for your service to the United States of America and Laredo. Your acts of courage and bravery will always be remembered in our community,” the city said in a statement.
Espinoza was born in Laredo but grew up in Rio Bravo, KGNS-TV reported. He attended Lyndon B. Johnson High School in Laredo.
Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee
A week ago, Nicole Gee, 23, posted a photo on Instagram that showed her holding a baby at the Kabul airport. She added a simple, profound comment: “I love my job.” The same photo was posted by the Department of Defense on Aug. 21.
Gee, from Sacramento, California, served as a maintenance technician with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. On her Instagram page, she described herself as a “positive mental attitude advocate.” The locations listed on her page include California, North Carolina and “somewhere overseas.”
Another photo on Gee’s Instagram page shows her earlier in the week, on duty with her rifle next to a line of people waiting to board a transport plane. She described her assignment as “escorting evacuees onto the bird.”
Other recent Instagram photos show Gee with friends in Spain, where they shared a toast, and Greece. Other pictures show the Marine riding a camel in Saudi Arabia and receiving her promotion to sergeant.
“Never would have imagined having my Sergeant promotion meritoriously in Kuwait,” she wrote of the promotion in a post shared three weeks ago.
Read more:California Marine Nicole Gee, 23, who cradled baby at Kabul airport, killed in Afghanistan attack
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover
Flags flew at half-staff in Utah as more flags lined the street outside the family home of Marine Darin Taylor Hoover.
The Department of Defense confirmed Hoover’s death on Saturday. Multiple media outlets reported Hoover went by his middle name.
Hoover, 31, was remembered by family as a hero who lived to serve.
“He gave his life protecting those that can’t protect themselves, doing what he loved: Serving his country,” said his father, Darin Hoover.
Taylor Hoover served in the Marines for 11 years.
Darin Hoover said Taylor was best friends with his two sisters and left behind a girlfriend in California. He described his son as someone who “lit up a room.”
Darin Hoover said other Marines who worked with his son reached out to him to say how much they learned from him.
“One heck of a leader,” Darin Hoover said.
Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed the staff sergeant’s death in a statement Friday and thanked him for his service, saying, “We’ll never forget his unwavering devotion.”
Read more:Utah Marine Taylor Hoover, 31, killed in Afghanistan airport attack
US Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss
Initial reports of Thursday’s attack said the slain Americans were all Marines with the exception of a Navy hospital corpsman, making the news of Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss’ death “quite a shock” to his family, his grandmother Evelena Knauss told The Daily Beast.
“We were led to think that it was 12 Marines and one Navy, and we knew our grandson was in the Army,” she said. “So we were praying for the families of the Marines, not knowing our grandson was one of the ones who lost his life. … You just don’t think it will be yours.”
Ryan Knauss had already served a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan. He grew up in Tennessee and joined the Army after graduating from Gibbs High School in Corryton, near Knoxville.
In a statement, U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee described Knauss as a “brave, honorable, and heroic man – a Tennessee volunteer – who, with a servant’s heart, gave everything of himself at just 23 years old for his state and the country that he loved dearly.”
Read more:US Army soldier Ryan Knauss, 23, ‘a Tennessee volunteer,’ killed in Afghanistan airport attack
Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez
Hunter Lopez was from a family with deep roots in California’s Coachella Valley. He was the son of two Riverside County Sheriff’s Department employees.
“We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Hunter, who chose to follow a life of service, selflessness, courage and sacrifice, like his parents,” the news release reads.
The sheriff’s association said Lopez was a Riverside Sheriff’s Explorer Scout with the Palm Desert Station from September 2014 to August 2017. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines and was planning on joining the sheriff’s department when he returned from deployment, according to the release.
“Like his parents, Hunter wanted to help serve others and protect his community,” La Quinta Mayor Linda Evans said. “Our City Council and staff ask the community to join us in prayer and support for the Lopez family, as they navigate through this difficult time.”
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum
Rylee McCollum was a Marine and an expectant father, Wyoming state officials said Friday.
“I’m devastated to learn Wyoming lost one of our own in yesterday’s terrorist attack in Kabul,” Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement thanking McCollum for his service.
McCollum attended Jackson Hole High School and Summit Innovations School, graduating in 2019.
Roice McCollum, Rylee’s older sister, confirmed to the Casper Star-Tribune that McCollum was expecting a baby in three weeks.
“He wanted to be a Marine his whole life and carried around his rifle in his diapers and cowboy boots,” McCollum’s sister told the Star-Tribune. “He was determined to be in infantry. … Rylee wanted to be a history teacher and a wrestling coach when he finished serving his country. He’s a tough, kind, loving kid who made an impact on everyone he met. His joke and wit brought so much joy.”
Read more:Wyoming Marine Rylee McCollum, 20, an expectant father, killed in Afghanistan airport attack
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola
Marine Dylan Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, is being praised by family, friends and neighbors for his generosity and bravery. Merola was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California.
Cheryl Merola, his mother, told the Los Angeles CBS affiliate her son was “kind, loving” and “would give anything to anybody.”
In an on-camera interview with the station, she recalled Dylan’s last phone message to her: “‘Mom, I won’t be able to talk to you for a little while. We’re being sent to a different location. I love you and I will talk to you as soon as I get home.'”
Read more:California Marine Dylan Merola, 20, killed in Afghanistan airport attack, remembered as kind, brave
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui
Friends and family are mourning the death of Marine Kareem Mae’Lee Grant Nikoui, a California native.
In a statement, the city of Norco said Nikoui graduated from Norco High School in 2019 after joining junior ROTC, and then became a Marine.
Steve Nikoui, Kareem’s father, told The Daily Beast that he is upset with President Joe Biden, and is trying to “respect the office,” although he supported former President Donald Trump.
“I blame my own military leaders. … Biden turned his back on him. That’s it,” Steve Nikoui said.
In a statement, the Norco High School Air Force JROTC said Kareem Nikoui was “one of the best” of its 2019 graduates.
“Kareem was set on being a Marine & always wanted to serve his country. Kareem made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and his memory will live on forever,” the junior ROTC said in a statement.
Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page
Daegan W. Page of Omaha, Nebraska, was raised in Red Oak, Iowa, and in the Omaha area. He joined the Marines after graduating from Millard South High School, his family said in a statement.
Page served in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment based at Camp Pendleton, California. He planned to go to trade school and possibly become a lineman after his enlistment ended, the statement said.
Page’s family remembered him “for his tough outer shell and giant heart,” according to a statement published by the Omaha World-Herald.
“Our hearts are broken,” the statement said. “But we are thankful for the friends and family who are surrounding us during this time.”
The Marine’s family said Page loved the brotherhood of the Corps.
Read more:Marine Daegan William-Tyeler Page, 23, killed in Afghanistan airport attack
Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo
Marine Johanny Rosario Pichardo received praise and condolences in her home state of Massachusetts in the days after Thursday’s deadly attack.
Gov. Charlie Baker called Rosario Pichardo, 25, who attended high school in the northeastern Massachusetts city of Lawrence, “a Massachusetts hero gone too soon.”
Rosario Pichardo, who also used the surname Rosario, was assigned to the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Naval Support Activity Bahrain, according to the Defense Department.
Lawrence Mayor Kendrys Vasquez issued a statement saying he was “heartbroken” at the loss of “a daughter of our city.” Her family asked for privacy “and that their loved one be recognized as the hero that she was,” he said.
Read more:Marine Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, ‘a Massachusetts hero,’ killed in Afghanistan airport attack
Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez
Hometown education officials and members of Congress called for people to remember the sacrifice of Marine Humberto Sanchez.
In a Facebook post, U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, whose district includes Logansport, where Sanchez is from, asked Hoosiers to pray for the Marine’s family.
“He bravely answered the call to serve his nation, and I am both proud of his service and deeply saddened by his loss,” Baird wrote in the Facebook post. “May we never forget Corporal Sanchez’s name or his heroism to a grateful nation.”
In a Facebook post of his own, Sen. Mike Braun called Sanchez “an American hero.”
“His service and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Braun wrote.
The Logansport Community School Corp. said Sanchez was a Logansport High School graduate.
“We’re forever indebted to the service men and women who risk it all to protect others,” the school district tweeted. “We will never forget the names of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
Read more:Indiana Marine Humberto Sanchez killed in Afghanistan airport attack, Congress members say
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz
“This has just been absolutely devastating,” Mark Schmitz told a St. Louis area radio station about the death of his son Jared Schmitz.
Mark Schmitz told KMOX that the U.S. Marine Corps came to his home to deliver “the horrific news” around 2:40 a.m. Friday.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley confirmed the death in a statement posted to Twitter.
“Today I spoke with the family of Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz…a Marine who lost his life yesterday in the Kabul attacks, while proudly serving this nation. I promised his family that his service and his legacy will not be forgotten,” Hawley wrote.
Read more:Missouri Marine Jared Schmitz, an ‘American hero,’ killed in Afghanistan airport attack
Navy Hospitalman Max Soviak
The Edison Local Schools district in Ohio on Friday announced the death of Max Soviak, a 2017 graduate of Edison High in Milan.
“It is with deepest sorrow that I am sharing this news,” Superintendent Thomas Roth said in a statement. “Max was a good student who was active in sports and other activities throughout his school career. He was well respected and liked by everyone who knew him. Max was full of life in everything he did.”
At Edison High School, Soviak was a member of the football team, wrestling team, tennis team, track team and band, Roth told USA TODAY. Before joining the Navy, Soviak worked as a lifeguard and as a maintenance technician, The Sandusky Register reported.
Read more:Navy hospital corpsman Maxton Soviak, 22, ‘a good kid’ from Ohio, killed in Kabul airport attack
Contributing: The Associated Press
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