Slain Marine who cradled baby at Kabul airport loved her job

A pistillate who cradled a babe successful her arms astatine the airdrome and posted connected societal media that she loved her job. A young hubby with a kid connected the way. Another antheral who ever wanted to beryllium successful the military. A antheral who planned to go a sheriff’s lawman erstwhile his deployment ended. Heart-wrenching details person emerged astir immoderate of the 13 U.S. troops killed successful a horrific termination bombing astatine Afghanistan’s Kabul airport, which besides claimed the lives of much than 160 Afghans.

Eleven Marines, 1 Navy sailor and 1 Army worker were among the dead, portion 18 different U.S. work members were wounded successful Thursday's bombing, which was blamed connected Afghanistan’s offshoot of the Islamic State group. The U.S. said it was the most lethal time for American forces successful Afghanistan since 2011. The White House said President Joe Biden volition look for opportunities to grant the work members who mislaid their lives, galore of whom were men successful their aboriginal 20s.

Ad

Here are the stories of immoderate of the victims and the radical who are mourning them:

NICOLE GEE, 23

A week earlier she was killed, Sgt. Nicole Gee cradled a babe successful her arms astatine the Kabul airport. She posted the photograph connected Instagram and wrote, “I emotion my job.”

Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California, was a attraction technician with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune successful North Carolina.

Sgt. Mallory Harrison, who lived with Gee for 3 years and called her a “sister forever” and champion friend, wrote astir the magnitude of her loss.

“I can’t rather picture the feeling I get erstwhile I unit myself to travel backmost to world & deliberation astir however I’m ne'er going to spot her again,” Harrison wrote connected Facebook. “How her past enactment was taken doing what she loved — helping people. … Then determination was an explosion. And conscionable similar that, she’s gone.”

Ad

Gee’s Instagram leafage shows different photograph of her successful fatigues, holding a firearm adjacent to a enactment of radical walking into the belly of a ample transport plane. She wrote: “escorting evacuees onto the bird.”

The societal media relationship that includes galore selfies aft moving retired astatine the gym lists her determination arsenic California, North Carolina and “somewhere overseas.”

Photos amusement her connected a camel successful Saudi Arabia, successful a bikini connected a Greek isle and holding a brew successful Spain. One from this period successful Kuwait shows her beaming with her meritorious promotion to sergeant.

Harrison said her procreation of Marines hears warfare stories from veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, but they look distant amid boring deployments until “the peaceful interval you were connected turns into … your friends ne'er coming home.”

Gee’s car was inactive parked successful a batch astatine Camp Lejeune and Harrison mused astir each the Marines who walked past it portion she was overseas.

Ad

“Some of them knew her. Some of them didn’t.” she said. “They each walked past it. The warfare stories, the losses, the flag-draped coffins, the KIA bracelets & the heartbreak. It’s not truthful distant anymore.”

RYLEE McCOLLUM, 20

Rylee McCollum, a Marine and autochthonal of Bondurant, Wyoming, was joined and his woman is expecting a babe successful 3 weeks, his sister, Cheyenne McCollum, said.

“He was truthful excited to beryllium a dad, and helium was going to beryllium a large dad," McCollum said. She said her member “was a Marine earlier helium knew helium was allowed to beryllium a Marine. ... He’d transportation astir his artifact firearm and deterioration his sister’s pinkish princess snowfall boots and he’d either beryllium hunting oregon helium was a Marine. Sometimes it would beryllium with thing connected underneath, conscionable a T-shirt.”

McCollum said her member wanted to beryllium a past teacher and a wrestling manager erstwhile helium completed his service. Another sister, Roice McCollum, told the Casper Star Tribune that her member was connected his archetypal deployment erstwhile the evacuation successful Afghanistan began.

Ad

“We privation to marque definite that radical cognize that these are the kids that are sacrificing themselves, and he’s got a household who loves him and a woman who loves him and a babe that he’ll ne'er get to meet,” Cheyenne McCollum said.

Regi Stone, the begetter of 1 of Rylee McCollum’s friends, described McCollum arsenic “a bully kid,” who was resilient, astute and courageous. Stone shared a enactment that his wife, Kim, sent to their lad Eli Stone, who is besides successful the subject and deployed elsewhere. In the note, Kim wrote that she remembered telling the friends to tally the different mode if they had to spell successful archetypal and that some of them said, “If we dice doing this, we dice doing what we love.”

KAREEM MAE’LEE GRANT NIKOUI, 20

Lance Corporal Kareem Mae’Lee Grant Nikoui, of Norco, California, sent videos to his household hours earlier helium died, showing himself interacting with children successful Afghanistan. In 1 clip, helium asked a young lad to accidental hello.

Ad

“Want to instrumentality a video unneurotic buddy?” Nikoui said, leaning successful to instrumentality a video of himself with the boy. “All right, we’re heroes now, man.”

Family person Paul Arreola said the videos amusement "the bosom of this young man, the emotion helium has.”

“The household is conscionable heartbroken," helium said. Arreola described Nikoui arsenic an “amazing young man” afloat of committedness who ever wanted to beryllium a Marine and acceptable retired to execute his goal. He is survived by his parents and 3 siblings.

“He loved this state and everything we basal for. It’s conscionable truthful hard to cognize that we’ve mislaid him,” helium said, crying.

Nikoui was besides successful the JROTC, and the Norco High School Air Force JROTC posted connected Facebook that helium was “one of our champion Air Force JROTC cadets” and that “Kareem was acceptable connected being a Marine & ever wanted to service his country.”

JARED SCHMITZ, 20

Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz grew up successful the St. Louis country and was among a radical of Marines sent backmost to Afghanistan to assistance with evacuation efforts, his father, Mark Schmitz, told KMOX Radio.

Ad

“This was thing helium ever wanted to do, and I ne'er seen a young antheral bid arsenic hard arsenic helium did to beryllium the champion worker helium could be,” Mark Schmitz said of his son. “His beingness meant truthful overmuch more. I’m truthful incredibly devastated that I won’t beryllium capable to spot the antheral that helium was precise rapidly increasing into becoming.”

TAYLOR HOOVER, 31

Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, of Utah, had been successful the Marines for 11 years and was remembered arsenic a leader who died serving others, his father, Darin Hoover, said.

“He is simply a hero. He gave his beingness protecting those that can’t support themselves, doing what helium loved serving his country,” said Darin Hoover, who lives successful a Salt Lake City suburb.

He said helium had heard from Marines who said they were grateful they had his lad arsenic their sergeant.

“They look backmost connected him and accidental that they’ve learned truthful overmuch from him,” Hoover said. “One heck of a leader.”

Hoover said his lad was besides a champion person to his 2 sisters and loved each his extended family. He had a woman successful California and was the benignant of feline who “lit up a room” erstwhile helium came in, his begetter said.

Ad

Nate Thompson of Murray, Utah, archetypal met Hoover erstwhile they were 10 years aged successful Little League football. They stayed friends done precocious school, wherever Hoover played lineman. He was undersized for the position, but his bosom and hard enactment much than made up for what helium lacked successful statute, Thompson said. As a friend, helium was selfless and kind.

“If we had occupation with grades, occupation with household oregon occupation connected the field, we ever called Taylor. He’s ever level-headed, adjacent if he’s struggling himself,” helium said.

DEAGAN WILLIAM-TYELER PAGE, 23

Corporal Daegan William-Tyeler Page served successful the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment based astatine Camp Pendleton, California, and planned to spell to commercialized schoolhouse and perchance go a lineman aft his enlistment ended, his household said successful a statement.

Page was raised successful Red Oak, Iowa, and successful the Omaha country and joined the Marines aft graduating from Millard South High School. He is mourned by his girlfriend, parents, stepmom and stepdad, 4 siblings and grandparents, the household connection said.

Ad

“Daegan volition ever beryllium remembered for his pugnacious outer ammunition and elephantine heart,” the connection said. ”Our hearts are broken, but we are thankful for the friends and household who are surrounding america during this time. Our thoughts and prayers are besides with the different Marine and Navy families whose loved ones died alongside Daegan.”

RYAN KNAUSS, 23

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss was remembered arsenic a motivated antheral who loved his state and was looking guardant to coming backmost to the U.S. and yet moving to Washington, D.C., household members told WATE-TV successful Knoxville, Tennessee.

Knauss’ grandfather, Wayne Knauss, told the tv presumption that his grandson attended Gibbs High School and grew up successful a Christian home.

“A motivated young antheral who loved his country,” Wayne Knauss said. “He was a believer, truthful we volition spot him again successful God’s heaven.”

Stepmother Linnae Knauss said Ryan planned to determination to Washington aft helium returned to the U.S.

Ad

“He was a super-smart hilarious young man,” she said.

HUNTER LOPEZ, 22

Hunter Lopez, whose parents enactment astatine the Riverside County Sheriff's Department successful Southern California, was a sheriff's Explorer for 3 years earlier joining the Marine Corps successful September 2017, Sheriff Chad Bianco said.

Bianco said Lopez planned to travel successful his parents' footsteps and go a Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy aft his deployment.

DAVID LEE ESPINOZA, 20

Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza, a Marine from Laredo, Texas, joined the subject aft precocious school, and was being remembered arsenic a leader by his mother.

“He was conscionable brave capable to spell bash what helium wanted and to assistance retired people. That’s who helium was, helium was conscionable perfect," his mother, Elizabeth Holguin. told the Laredo Morning Times.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said Espinoza “embodied the values of America: grit, dedication, service, and valor. When helium joined the subject aft precocious school, helium did truthful with the volition of protecting our federation and demonstrating his selfless acts of service.”

Ad

Cuellar concluded, “The brave ne'er die. Mr. Espinoza is simply a hero.”

___

Melley reported from Los Angeles and Hanson reported from Helena, Montana. Associated Press writers Janie Har successful San Francisco, Amy Forliti successful Minneapolis, Terry Wallace successful Dallas, Lindsay Whitehurst and Brady McCombs successful Salt Lake City, and Darlene Superville successful Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.