Veterans help to evacuate thousands of Afghan allies as withdrawal deadline draws near
US Army combat veteran Cory Mills and Chad Robichaux, who served eight tours in Afghanistan, discuss their efforts to evacuate people from Kabul
A terror attack outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan left 11 Marines, one Army soldier and a Navy corpsman dead Thursday, injuring 20 more service members and inflicting even more carnage on Afghan civilians.
The service members were holding the airport as the Biden administration rushes to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies from the country following a swift Taliban offensive reclaimed the country.
The ISIS-K terror group claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing seeking to disrupt the massive evacuation effort of Americans, Afghan allies and third-party nationals outside the U.S.-held airport.
It was the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan in more than a decade.
Ten of the victims – nine Marines and a Navy corpsman – were based out of California's Camp Pendleton.
Here are the men and women who gave their lives in support of a massive evacuation effort to save U.S. citizens and Afghan allies:
Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover
31, U.S. Marine from Utah
2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California
The Salt Lake City native was "a born leader," his father, also named Darin Hoover, told the city news station KSL-TV.
The younger Hoover was 11 years old on Sept. 11, 2001, and the al Qaeda terror attacks left him determined to join the military, his father told the station.
Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo
25, U.S. Marine from Massachusetts
Rosario Pichardo, from Lawrence, Massachusetts, was assigned to the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
She went by "Rosario" for short, according to the Boston-based WCVB-TV.
"Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario represented the very best our country has to offer," Massachusetts Congresswoman Lori Trahan said in a statement Saturday. "She made the ultimate sacrifice for our country protecting vulnerable Americans and Afghans trying to get to safety – a selfless and honorable mission."
Trahan vowed that the terrorists behind the attack would be brought to justice.
Sgt. Nicole L. Gee
23, U.S. Marine from California
Marines assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) calm infants during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 20. U.S. service members and coalition partners are assisting the Department of State with a Non-combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) in Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Isaiah Campbell) (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Isaiah Campbell)
Gee, a Sacramento native, was assigned to Combat Logistic Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Days before the attack, she shared to Instagram a photo taken by a fellow Marine of her holding an Afghan baby in Kabul, along with the caption, "I love my job." Another photo showed her standing guard as a group of evacuees loaded onto a military plane ahead of a flight to safety.
Three weeks ago, in a separate post, she said she was promoted to sergeant in Kuwait.
Cpl. Hunter Lopez
22, U.S. Marine from California
(Riverside County Sheriff's Office)
2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California
Both of his parents are members of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, according to authorities there.
"Like his parents who serve our community, being a Marine to Hunter wasn’t a job; it was a calling," the Riverside Sheriff's Association said in a statement. "He loved his family, and as we grieve for Hunter and his fellow Marines taken from us too soon, there are simply no words to express how deeply he will be missed – Semper Fi."
Lopez had planned on becoming a deputy himself after returning from his deployment, according to FOX Los Angeles.
Cpl. Daegan W. Page
23, U.S. Marine from Nebraska
(Family Handout)
2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California
Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez
22, U.S. Marine from Indiana
2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California
"This young man had not yet even turned 30 and still had his entire life ahead of him," Chris Martin, mayor of Sanchez's hometown of Logansport, wrote in a Facebook post. "Any plans he may have had for his post-military life were given in sacrifice due to the heart he exhibited in putting himself into harm’s way to safeguard the lives of others."
Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza
20, U.S. Marine from Texas
2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California
(City of Rio Bravo)
Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar wrote that Espinoza, of Rio Bravo, exemplified American values and said, "The brave never die."
"Mr. Espinoza, a Laredo Marine killed in Afghanistan, embodied the values of America: grit, dedication, service, and valor," he wrote. "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."
Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz
20, U.S. Marine from Missouri
(Facebook/Nick Schroer)
2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California
Schmitz, of St. Charles, was also on his first deployment, according to the St. Louis-based FOX 2.
In a Facebook post, state Rep. Nick Schroer said Schmitz was from St. Charles County and praised him as "a true American hero."
Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum
20, U.S. Marine from Wyoming
2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California
McCollum, from Jackson, Wyoming, was on his first deployment to Afghanistan when the bomb went off, family members told the Casper Star-Tribune newspaper.
He was recently married and the couple was expecting a baby in the next three weeks, family members told the paper.
Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola
20, U.S. Marine from California
2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California
Merola, of Rancho Cucamonga, was honored by students at his former school, Los Osos High School, ahead of their first football game of the season Friday night, according to CBS 2 Los Angeles.
He had planned on becoming an engineer, his mother told the station.
Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui
20, a U.S. Marine from California
2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California
Nikoui was another member of the 2nd Battalion.
His father, Steve Nikoui, told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Friday that his son loved his job and had always wanted to be a Marine.
But after the bombing, Nikoui said he spent hours waiting nervously for word from his son.
"As soon as I saw them turn the corner, I saw it was three Marine suits, my life changed forever," he said.
The elder Nikoui shared a video with Fox News Friday that he said his son sent him the day before his death. It showed him giving candy to smiling Afghan children at the airport.
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Navy Hospital Corpsman Max Soviak
22, Navy corpsman from Ohio
Soviak was assigned to the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, based out of Camp Pendleton, California.
(U.S. Navy)
Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss
23, U.S. Army soldier from Tennessee
(Family Handout)
Corryton resident Knauss was assigned to the 9th PSYOP Battalion, 8th PSYOP Group, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
His grandfather, Wayne Knauss, told WATE-TV he was "a motivated young man who loved his country."
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"He was a believer so we will see him again in God’s heaven," he added.
"Ryan embodies American heroism – saving people he had never met before, in the face of persistent evil," Sen. Marsha Blackburn said Friday night. "We will never forget his sacrifice in service to his country."