• Father-to-be among U.S. troops dead in Kabul airport bombing,
A young husband with a child on the way who wanted to teach history one day, another man who always wanted to serve in the military and another who planned to become a sheriff’s deputy after his deployment were among the 13 U.S. troops killed in a horrific suicide bombing at Afghanistan’s Kabul airport, which also claimed the lives of more than 100 Afghans.
As military personnel were going through the grim task of notifying the troops’ next of kin, some of their names emerged Friday before the government formally announced them. Eleven Marines, one Navy sailor and one Army soldier were among the dead, while 18 other U.S. service members were wounded in Thursday’s bombing, which was blamed on Afghanistan’s offshoot of the Islamic State group.
The U.S. said it was the most lethal day for American forces in Afghanistan since 2011. The White House said President Joe Biden will look for opportunities to honor the service members who lost their lives. The victims include troops from California, Texas, Missouri and Wyoming.
Navy corpsman Maxton Soviak, 22, an Erie County native, was killed when two suicide bombers detonated explosives near the airport gate, his family confirmed on Friday.
In a statement, Mr. Soviak’s family thanked “all those who have extended their support and prayers on the loss of our son.”
“Max was a wonderful son who loved his family, his community, and was proud to serve in the U.S. Navy,” the statement read. “He was excited about the opportunities the Navy would offer him and planned to make the Navy a career. We are incredibly proud of his service to our country.”
Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, a Marine from Wyoming whose wife is expecting a baby in three weeks, was among those killed, his sister, Cheyenne McCollum, told The Associated Press.
Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, was one of the other Marines who died in the attack. His father, Mark Schmitz said his son, who grew up in the St. Louis area, was among a group of Marines sent back to Afghanistan to assist with evacuation efforts.
“This was something he always wanted to do, and I never seen a young man train as hard as he did to be the best soldier he could be,” Mr. Schmitz said of his son.
Lance Cpl. Hunter Lopez, a 22-year-old whose parents work at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California, was also among the Marines killed, the sheriff’s department confirmed Friday. Sheriff Chad Bianco said Lance Cpl. Lopez was a Riverside Sheriff’s Explorer for three years before joining the Marine Corps in September 2017.
Sheriff Bianco said Lance Cpl. Lopez planned to become a Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy after his deployment.