To the extraordinary heroic 13 service members and their Gold Star Families, we remember. We will always remember. We are eternally grateful.
#saytheirname #kabul13
-Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah
-Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts
-Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California
-Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California
-Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska
-Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana
-Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas
-Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri
-Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming
-Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California
-Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California
-Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio
-Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee.
To all the men and women who were courageously there at HKIA in Kabul, Afghanistan... we thank you for your service in conducting the withdrawal operation. You have saved tens of thousands of lives. We are compassionate to your August 2021 service. The wounds you may have and bravely still carry are a burden we wish you never knew. Thank you for your service doesn't begin to show our appreciation but know that we will always remember your sacrifice.
Some of Tyler Vargas-Andrews, Sgt (Ret.) words during his open testimony with the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 8, 2023 remind us all of what we must not forget:
"About 1730 SSgt. Darin Hoover, (friend and mentor) came to get me from the tower to go help find an Afghan interpreter in the crowd in the canal. We found the interpreter and his brother, both with American passports. They told us of five family members still in the canal. I stayed there waiting for the family members standing against the 2 foot canal wall. 10 minutes past. Then a flash and massive wave of pressure. I’m thrown 12 feet on the ground, but instantly knew what had happened. I open my eyes to Marines dead or unconscious around me. A crowd of hundreds immediately vanished in front of me and my body was catastrophically wounded with 100-150 ball bearings now in it. Almost immediately we started taking fire from the neighborhood and I saw how injured I was with my right arm completely shredded and unusable. I saw my whole lower abdomen soaked in blood. I crawled backwards 7 feet because I thought I was still in harm's way. My body was overwhelmed from the trauma of the blast. My abdomen had been ripped open. Every inch of my exposed body except for my face took ball bearings and shrapnel. I tried to get up, but could not. Laying there for a few minutes, I started to lose consciousness when I heard Chas, my team leader, screaming my name as he ran to me. His voice, calling to me, kept me awake." (full testimony in comments)
We will always remember the Kabul 13 and those who served alongside them. Please let us honor and thank you.
