MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – The country continues to mourn the loss of the 13 service members killed during a suicide bombing attack at the airport in Kabul Afghanistan on Thursday, Aug. 26.
To honor the 11 Marines, one U.S. Navy sailor and U.S. Army soldier, Moncks Corner has lined both sides of Main Street with 13 American flags.
“God Bless our troops,” the town posted on its official Facebook page along with a photo of the flags.
These brave men and women made the ultimate sacrifice while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations that began Aug. 14.
“Terrorists took their lives at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others,” the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement after the attack. “We mourn their loss. We will treat their wounds. And we will support their families in what will most assuredly be devastating grief.”
This was the largest non-combatant evacuation operation ever conducted by the U.S. military, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The names of the 13 service members are listed below:
For the Marine Corps, the deceased are:
- Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah
- Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts
- Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California
- Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California
- Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska
- Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California
- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California
For the Navy, the deceased is:
- Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio
For the Army, the deceased is:
- Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee.
U.S. military aircraft has evacuated more than 79,000 civilians from Hamid Karzai International Airport, which includes 6,000 Americans and more than 73,500 third country nationals and Afghan civilians.
The last military planes left Kabul on Monday, ending America’s longest war.
“I’m here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens, third country nationals and vulnerable Afghans,” Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command told Pentagon reporters from his headquarters in Tampa. “The last C-17 lifted off from Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 30, this afternoon, at 3:29 p.m., East Coast time, and the last manned aircraft is now clearing the airspace above Afghanistan.”
More than 800,000 American service members and 25,000 civilians served in Afghanistan over the almost 20-year mission. A total of 2,461 U.S. service members and civilians were killed and more than 20,000 were injured.
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