The young father to be one of the 13 American soldiers killed in Afghanistan

A young husband with a son on the way. Another man who always wanted to be in the military. A man who planned to become the sheriff’s deputy when he finished his deployment. Discouraging details began to emerge on Friday about some of the 13 U.S. troops killed in a horrific suicide bombing at Kabul airport in Afghanistan, which also claimed the lives of more than 160 Afghans.

Eleven Marines, a Navy sailor and an Army soldier were among the dead, while 18 other members of the U.S. service were injured in Thursday’s bombing, which was blamed on the branch of the U.S. Navy. ‘Afghanistan of the Islamic State group. The United States said it was the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since 2011. The White House said President Joe Biden will seek opportunities to honor the military who lost their lives, many of whom they were men of about twenty years.

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Here are the stories of some of the victims and the people who mourn them:

RYLEE McCOLLUM, 20 years

Rylee McCollum, a sailor from Bondurant, Wyoming, was married and his wife is expecting a baby in three weeks, said his sister, Cheyenne McCollum.

“I was very excited to be a father and I was going to be a great father,” McCollum said. He said his brother “was a Marine before he knew he was allowed to be a Marine … his toy rifle and his sister’s pink princess snow boots, or he was going to hunting or he was a Marine. Sometimes there would be nothing underneath, just a T-shirt. “

McCollum said his brother wanted to be a history teacher and wrestling coach once he finished his service. Another sister, Roice McCollum, told the Casper Star Tribune that her brother was in his first deployment when evacuation to Afghanistan began.

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“We want to make sure people know that these are the children who are sacrificing themselves, and they have a family that loves them and a woman who loves them and a baby they will never know,” Cheyenne McCollum said.

Regi Stone, the father of one of Rylee McCollum’s friends, described McCollum as “a good boy,” who was resilient, intelligent, and brave. Stone shared a note that his wife, Kim, sent to his son Eli Stone, who is also military and deployed elsewhere. On the note, Kim wrote that she remembered telling her friends to run across the other side if they had to come in first and that they both said, “If we die doing this, we die doing what we love.”

KAREEM MAE’LEE GRANT NIKOUI, 20 years old

Major Corporal Kareem Mae’Lee Grant Nikoui, of Norco, California, sent videos to his family hours before he died, showing himself interacting with children in Afghanistan. In one of the clips, he asked a boy to greet him.

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“Want to make a video together buddy?” Nikoui said, leaning over to make a video of him with the boy. “All right, we’re heroes now, man.”

A close family friend, Paul Arreola, said the videos show “this young man’s heart, the love he has.”

“The family has a broken heart,” he said. Arreola described Nikoui as an “amazing young man” full of promise who always wanted to be a Marine and set out to achieve his goal. His parents and three siblings survive him.

“She loved this country and everything we stand for. It’s so hard to know we lost him, “he said, crying.

Nikoui was also in the JROTC and the Norco High School Air Force JROTC posted on Facebook that he was “one of our best JROTC Air Force cadets” and that “Kareem was determined to be a Marine and he always wanted to serve his country ”.

The city of Norco said on Friday in a post on social media that Nikoui’s name will be consecrated on a commemorative wall in the city.

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JARED SCHMITZ, 20 years old

Navy Chief Jared Schmitz grew up in the St. Louis area. Louis and was among a group of Marines sent back to Afghanistan to assist in evacuation efforts, his father, Mark Schmitz, told KMOX Radio.

Mark Schmitz said his son always wanted to be a sailor. He said he learned of his son’s death when the Marines arrived at his home in Wentzville, Missouri, at 2:40 a.m. Friday.

“That was something he always wanted to do, and I’ve never seen a young man train as hard as he did to be the best soldier he could be,” Schmitz said of his son. “It simply came to our notice then. I’m so incredibly devastated that I won’t be able to see the man who grew up quickly until he became a man. ”

TAYLOR HOOVER, 31 years old

Staff Sergeant. Taylor Hoover, of Utah, had been with Marines for eleven years and was remembered as a hero who died serving others, his father Darin Hoover said.

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“He is a hero. He gave his life protecting those who cannot be protected, doing what he loved to serve his country, ”said Darin Hoover, who lives in a Salt Lake City suburb.

He said he listened to Marines all day Friday who said they were grateful to have had their son as a sergeant.

“They look back at him and say they’ve learned a lot from him,” Darin Hoover said. “A devil of a leader.”

His father said his son was also the best friend of his two sisters and that he loved his entire extended family. He had a girlfriend in California and was the kind of guy who “lit up a room” when he came in, his father said.

Nate Thompson, of Murray, Utah, first met Hoover when they were 10 years old in Little League football. They remained friends in high school, where Hoover acted as lininer. He had a reduced size for the position, but his heart and effort made up for more than what he lacked in the law, Thompson said. As a friend, he was selfless and kind.

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“If we had problems with grades, problems with family or problems in the field, we always called Taylor. He’s always balanced, even if he’s struggling, ”he said.

PAGE DEAGAN WILLIAM-TYELER, 23

Corporal Daegan William-Tyeler Page served in the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Marine Regiment based at Camp Pendleton, California, and planned to go to business school and possibly become a lineman after completing his enlistment, said his family in a statement.

Page grew up in Red Oak, Iowa, and the Omaha subway area and joined the Marines after graduating from Millard South High School. He is mourning his girlfriend, parents, stepmother and stepfather, four brothers and grandparents, the family said in a statement released by a family friend. The statement indicates that the family did not want to talk to the media at this time.

“Daegan will always be remembered for his hard outer layer and his giant heart,” the statement says. “Our hearts are broken, but we are grateful to the friends and family around us during this time. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the other marine and marine families whose loved ones died alongside Daegan. ”

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RYAN KNAUSS, 23 years old

Sergeant of the Army General Staff. Ryan Knauss was remembered as a motivated man who loved his country and hoped to return to the United States and eventually move to Washington, DC, family members reported on WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Knauss ‘grandfather, Wayne Knauss, told the television station that the family received the news of Knauss’ death on Friday and that funeral services were being planned. Knauss said his grandson attended Gibbs High School and grew up in a Christian home.

“A motivated young man who loved his country,” Wayne Knauss said. “He was a believer, so we will see him again in God’s heaven.”

Stepmother Linnae Knauss said Ryan planned to move to Washington after returning to the United States

“He was a funny, super-smart young man,” he said.

HUNTER LOPEZ, 22 years old

Hunter Lopez, whose parents work in the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California, was a sheriff’s scout for three years before joining the Marine Corps in September 2017, said Sheriff Chad White.

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Bianco said Lopez planned to follow in his parents’ footsteps and become the Riverside County sheriff’s deputy after his deployment.

DAVID LEE ESPINOZA, 20

Spearhead David Lee Espinoza, a sailor from Laredo, Texas, joined the Army after high school and her mother remembered her as a hero.

“He was brave enough to go and do what he wanted and help people. That was him, he was perfect, “his mother, Elizabeth Holguin, told the Laredo Morning Times.

Espinoza’s death was previously confirmed by US Representative Henry Cuellar. Congresswoman Dana Youngentob’s press secretary said Pentagon representatives visited Cuellar’s Washington office to inform him of Espinoza’s death. Cuellar’s office also received a notice of official death from the Pentagon.

In a statement, Cuellar said that Espinoza “embodied the values ​​of America: grain, dedication, service and courage. When he joined the army after high school, he did so with the intention of protecting our nation and demonstrating his selfless acts of service. “

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Cuellar concluded: “The brave never die. Mr. Espinoza is a hero. “

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Associated Press writers Terry Wallace in Dallas, Lindsay Whitehurst and Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City and Darlene Superville in Washington, DC, contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to fix Hunter Lopez’s name.