[See update at end]
As we watch in horror the scenes of death and carnage that took place at the entrance to the Kabul airport 24 hours ago, this author feels somewhat regretful for having written an uplifting essay about “positive stories” coming out of Afghanistan only 24 hours before this tragedy – regardless of the “caveat” that “the stories and images out of that wretched country may become increasingly heartbreaking.”
I feel the moral obligation to follow-up that story with just two heartfelt sentiments.
First, my deepest condolences to the families, loved ones and friends of the 13 brave service members we lost in the dastardly attack and my prayers and best wishes for a quick and full recovery to those who were injured.
Second, I hope we will best remember them not only for their obvious dedication and bravery but also for the countless acts of selflessness and kindheartedness they, along with their fellow marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen, were performing at the Kabul gateway to freedom and which we have tried to capture in humble words and in images.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III expressed it best when he said:
On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense, I express my deepest condolences to the loved ones and teammates of all those killed and wounded in Kabul today…Terrorists took their lives at the very moment these troops were trying to save the lives of others. We mourn their loss. We will treat their wounds. And we will support their families in what will most assuredly be devastating grief.
Of course, we also mourn the deaths ands injuries suffered by desperate Afghan citizens trying to escape to freedom.
CODA-UPDATE:
The Department of Defense has released the names of the 13 service members who died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Two of the service members were women and 11 of the 13 men and women were 23 years of age or younger.
They 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.
Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio.
Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee.
Of the two women, the New York Times writes:
The two female sergeants volunteered for a job that in culturally conservative Afghanistan could have been carried out only by women: searching other women and children as they passed through the gates. But the two sergeants were also standout Marines in a force that is slowly changing, putting more women in combat roles and positions of leadership.
A widely circulated Facebook photo (lead image) shows Sergeant Gee “in dusty body armor with a rifle, her long blond hair pulled back, her hands in tactical gloves. Amid the chaos of Kabul, those hands are carefully cradling a baby.”
Of Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo (below), the Times quotes Marine First Lt, Joh Copola, “Her service was not only crucial to evacuating thousands of women and children, but epitomizes what it means to be a Marine: putting herself in danger for the protection of American values so that others might enjoy them.”
