A young man who was soon going to be a father and wanted to teach history one day. Another man who always wanted to be a soldier. A man who planned to be a police officer when he finished his service. Striking details began to emerge on Friday over the 13 U.S. troops who died along with more than 160 Afghans in the explosive attack perpetrated by suicide bombers at Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
Eleven Marines, a Navy sailor, and an Army soldier were killed. Another 18 U.S. soldiers were wounded in Thursday’s attack, attributed to a cell of the Islamic State group in Afghanistan.
The United States noted that it was the deadliest day for its armed forces in Afghanistan since 2011. The White House said President Joe Biden would look for an opportunity to pay tribute to the troops who lost their lives.
Here are some details of the victims:
RYLEE MCCOLLUM, 20 years
Marina’s Rylee McCollum, a native of Bondurant, Wyoming, was married, and his wife is expecting a baby in three weeks, his sister Cheyenne McCollum told AP.
“I was very excited that he was going to be a father, and he was going to be a great father,” McCollum said. “He was already a Marine since he knew they would let him be a Marine … He used to walk with his toy rifle and put on his sister’s snow boots, and he played with the fact that he walked hunting or marine era “.
McCollum said his brother wanted to be a history teacher and wrestling coach when he finished his service.
Another sister, Roice McColllum, told the Casper Star Tribune newspaper that her brother was fulfilling his first deployment when evacuation to Afghanistan began.
“We want to make sure people know that these are the guys who are sacrificing themselves, that he has a family that loves him and a woman who loves him and a baby he will never meet,” Cheyenne McCollum added.
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JARED SCHMITZ, 20 years old
Second Chief Jared Schmitz grew up in the St. Louis metropolitan area and was among a group of Marines who were sent back to Afghanistan to help with evacuation tasks, his father, Mark Schmitz, said. on KMOX Radio.
Mark Schmitz said his son always wanted to be a marine. He learned of Jared’s death when the Marines arrived home in Wentzville, Missouri, at 2:40 a.m. Friday.
“That was something he wanted to do, I never saw a young man train as hard as he did to be the best soldier he could be,” Schmitz said of his son. “His life had so much more meaning. I’m incredibly devastated that I won’t be able to see the man he was becoming.”
HUNTER LOPEZ, 22 YEARS OLD
Hunter Lopez, whose parents work at the Riverside County Police Department in Southern California, was part of the police scout program for three years before joining the Marine Corps in September. of 2017, said Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Bianco said Lopez planned to follow in his parents’ footsteps and become a Riverside County bailiff after his deployment.
DAVID LEE ESPINOZA, 20 years old
The death of second-in-command David Lee Espinoza, an infant from Marina de Laredo, Texas, was confirmed by Federal Representative Henry Cuellar.
Legislative Press Secretary Dana Youngentob said Pentagon representatives visited Cuellar’s Washington office to report on Espinoza’s death. Cuellar’s office also received official notice of the death of part of the Pentagon.
In a statement, Cuellar said Espinoza “embodies the values of the United States: determination, dedication, service and courage. When he joined the military after high school he did so with the purpose of protecting our nation and demonstrating their selfless acts of service “.
“The brave never die. Mr. Espinoza is a hero,” he added.