En Familia
We honor the memory of the 13 U.S. Service Members – eleven Marines, one Sailor, and one Soldier- who gave their lives on Thursday, August 26, 2021, at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. They are part of the 2,461 casualties and 20,000 wounded during the almost 20-year war in that country. As the ANSO Familia, we honor all the Service Members and their families who paid the ultimate sacrifice all these years. The images of the last planes involved in the 18-day evacuation retriggered the memories of brothers and sisters in arms lost in combat, untreated trauma and grief, and uncertainty of the future.
General Frank McKenzie, Commander, U.S. Central Command, during the Pentagon briefing on the end of the mission, said, “I would like to offer my personal appreciation to the more than 800,000 service members and 25,000 civilians who have served in Afghanistan, and particularly to the families of those whose loved ones have been lost or wounded. Your service, as well as that of your comrades and family members, will never be forgotten.” Latinos recognize the meaning of sacrifice and hard work. The lives and sacrifices of these honorable warriors spread seeds of hope in a situation that seems confusing, uncertain, and messy. We remember the lives of our country’s heroes and the lives of the innocent victims who died during the September 11 attacks in NYC 20-years ago. Today, we particularly remember the lives of these 13 Service Members killed by the suicide bomber during humanitarian ops at the Kabul airport.
Take some time and say their names as you send your thoughts and prayers to families, friends, and communities that remember them with love.
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas
- Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23, of Roseville, California
- Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, 31, of Utah
- Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee
- Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20, Jackson, Wyoming
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California
- Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page, 23, of Omaha
- Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario, 25, Lawrence, Massachusetts
- Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, 22, Logansport, Indiana
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, of Wentzville, Missouri
- Navy Hospital Corpsman Max Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio
