We’re learning more details about the members of the U.S. military killed in Thursday’s explosion outside the Kabul Airport. NBC News reports that Defense Department officials released the names of those who died in the attack, which was carried out by the terror group ISIS-K. All but two of the service members who died were Marines.
President Biden praised the service members for making “the ultimate sacrifice” in a statement Saturday, saying “their bravery and selflessness has enabled more than 117,000 people at risk to reach safety thus far.”
Here are the names of the victims:
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20 – Rio Bravo, TX
- Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23 – Sacramento, CA
- Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31 – Salt Lake City, UT
- Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23 – Corryton, TN
- Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22 – Indio, CA
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20 – Jackson, WY
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20 – Rancho Cucamonga, CA
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20 – Norco, CA
- Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo, 25 – Lawrence, MA
- Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22 – Logansport, IN
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20 – St. Charles, MO
- Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22 – Berlin Heights, OH
- Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23 – Omaha, NE
Five of the Marines killed were just 20 years old. The oldest victim, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover from Salt Lake City who was on his third tour of duty, was only 31 years of age.
Corpsman Maxton Soviak, known as “Max,” played football at Edison High School before graduating in 2017 and joining the Marines. His football coach, Jim Hall told the CBS Cleveland affiliate that Soviak “was bright, bright kid, and it doesn’t seem right, it doesn’t seem fair you know I just hope the best for his family.”
Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss had only been back in Afghanistan for a week before his death. He was part of the Army’s 82nd Airborne division.
Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo was a member of the Marine’s Female Engagement Team (FET), which was screening women and children at the Abbey gate when Thursday’s attack took place.
Marine First Lt. John “Jack” Coppola told CBS News that Pichardo and the FET unit served an essential role in helping to “enable continuity of operations while respecting cultural norms.”
Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole Gee was one of several Marines seen holding young Afghan children during evacuations just a few days before she was killed. One of the last photos Gee posted on Instagram showed her cradling a small child, with the caption, “I love my job.”
One of the last photos that Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee shared with her family shows her amid the chaos of Kabul, carefully cradling a baby.
She was killed not long after, one of two women in uniform who died during this week's suicide bombing. https://t.co/PGciEpuPB9
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 28, 2021