13 US service members were killed in last week’s suicide bomber attacks outside Kabul International Airport. An Afghan branch of the Islamic State terrorist organization claimed responsibility.
Most of those killed were in their early twenties. It was the deadliest attack on US forces in Afghanistan in ten years.
Nicole Gee was 23 years old when she was killed, just a few days after posting a photo of herself in Kabul, a refugee’s baby in her arms, with the text, “I love my job.” Nicole was a maintenance technician and had been helping evacuate people from Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“I can’t quite describe the feeling I get when I force myself to come back to reality & think about how I’m never going to see her again,” a friend wrote. “How her last breath was taken doing what she loved — helping people. … Then there was an explosion. And just like that, she’s gone.”
Rylee McCollum was just 20 when he was killed, on his very first deployment. He leaves behind a wife and a child due in under a month, a child who will never know his father.
“He was so excited to be a dad, and he was going to be a great dad," Rylee’s sister told AP. 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 … boots and he’d either be hunting or he was a Marine.”
Kareem Mae’lee Grant Nikoui was also just 20 at the time of the attack. In a video he sent family just a few hours beforehand, he can be seen with a young Afghan boy, asking him, “Want to take a video together, buddy? All right, we’re heroes now, man.”
Family friend Paul Arreola said the videos show "the heart of this young man, the love he has.
“He loved this country and everything we stand for. It’s just so hard to know that we’ve lost him,” he said, amid tears.
Maxton Soviak was 22 years old when he was killed in Kabul. He leaves behind 12 siblings who recall him as “a wonderful son who loved his family, his community, and was proud to serve in the U.S. Navy.
“Words cannot express how heartbroken we are with this news and we will miss Max tremendously.”
He enlisted in September 2017 and was posted first in Guam and then at Camp Pendleton.
In his final words to his mother over FaceTime, he reassured her he would be safe, his family said.
“Don’t worry mom, my guys got me," he said. "They won’t let anything happen to me.”
Humberto Sanchez was 22 years old when he was killed.
The principal of his high school remembers him as “a bright, athletic young man who was popular, well-liked by his soccer teammates, classmates, coaches and teachers. He was honored to be putting on the Marine uniform and serving his country.”
Dylan Merola was 20 years old when he was killed in Kabul, less than two weeks after being deployed there.
In his last message home, he told his mother he wouldn't be able to speak to her for a while because he was being moved to a new location in Afghanistan.
“I love you and I’ll talk to you as soon as I get home,” were his final words, Cheryl Merola told KCAL-TV, adding, “he was one of the best kids ever, kind, loving, giving to every single person. He would give anything for anybody.”
Jared Schmitz was also just twenty years old when he was sent to Afghanistan to help with the evacuations.
“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,” said his father, Mark Schmitz. “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.”
Taylor Hoover was 31 years old and had been in the Marines for 11 years.
“He gave his life protecting those that can’t protect themselves, doing what he loved serving his country,” said his father, Darin Hoover, describing how the soldiers who served under him said that “they’ve learned so much from him – he was one heck of a leader.”
Deagan William-Tyeler Page was 23 years old and joined the Marines straight out of high school.
“Daegan will always be remembered for his tough outer shell and giant heart,” a statement from his family said. “Our hearts are broken, but we are thankful for the friends and family who are surrounding us during this time."
Johanny Rosario Pichardo was 25 years old and served with the US Navy as a supply chief. She was born in the Dominican Republic.
“We will not allow her to be forgotten,” said Jaime Melendez, director of veterans’ services in Lawrence, where Rosario attended high school.
Ryan Knauss was 23 years old and had been serving in PsyOps after being stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“He was a motivated young man who loved his country,” his grandfather, Wayne Knauss, told media.
Hunter Lopez was 22 and had been planning to join the police force after completing his last deployment, following in the footsteps of his father (a captain) and his mother (a sheriff’s deputy).
“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,” local sheriff Chad Bianco said in a statement.
“Hunter was the victim of vicious evil and was killed because he wore a United States Marine uniform with love and pride,” the Riverside Sheriff’s Association said. “Our entire community feels the anguish, and we mourn the death of Hunter, who answered the call to serve, defend and protect our nation.”
David Lee Espinoza was 20 years old and joined the Marines out of high school.
“He was just brave enough to go do what he wanted and to help out people. That’s who he was, he was just perfect," his mother, Elizabeth Holguin, told the Laredo Morning Times.
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said 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.”
Cuellar added, “The brave never die. Mr. Espinoza is a hero.”