Laredo-area Marine among casualties at Kabul airport
A Laredo-area Marine was among the U.S. service members killed Thursday in a deadly attack in Afghanistan.
David Lee Espinoza was one of the 13 Americans who was killed in a suicide bombing at Afghanistan’s Kabul airport, which also claimed the lives of at least 170 civilians. Eighteen other U.S. service members were wounded in Thursday’s bombing, which was blamed on Afghanistan’s offshoot of the Islamic State group.
Espinoza, 20, was a lifetime resident of the community of Rio Bravo in Webb County and a graduate of Lyndon B. Johnson High School.
Espinoza’s family confirmed they were informed by the Department of Defense of their son’s death.
“He was my hero,” said his mother, Elizabeth Holguin. “He was just brave enough to go do what he wanted and to help out people. That’s who he was, he was just perfect.”
Espinoza’s mother said he enlisted in the Marines after graduating from high school in 2019. It was something he always wanted to do, but his mother said she worried about him going even though she supported his decision.
Holguin said Espinoza’s bravery and wanting to help others is what defined him as a person.
Laredo’s Rep. Henry Cuellar was briefed Friday morning on the latest news out of Afghanistan. He said he also found out about Espinoza’s death and was in disbelief that the tragedy hit closer to home than previously thought.
“When we found out that 13 soldiers had died, at that time we didn’t know that it was going to bring shockwaves to our community,” Cuellar said. “Mr. Espinoza embodied the values of America: grit, dedication, service and valor. When he joined the military after high school, he did so with the intention of protecting our nation and demonstrating his selfless acts of service. I mourn him and all the fallen heroes in Afghanistan. My heart goes out to the Espinoza family in this extremely difficult time. The brave never die. Mr. Espinoza is a hero.”
Rio Bravo officials also offered their condolences and prayers to the family.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own,” City Commissioner Amanda Aguero said. “We sent our prayers to his family in these tough times.”
Rio Bravo plans to hold a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m. Saturday at Espinoza’s home.
Espinoza’s former high school also reacted to news of the death of one of its graduates.
“David Lee Espinoza was a graduate of Lyndon B. Johnson’s class of 2019, and now he is a hero forever,” the school said in a statement. “A moment of silence was observed and taps was played throughout our school this morning in memory of David. Later, his picture will hang in our school to honor his memory forever. David, we are so proud of you.”
Cuellar said that he plans to pay a visit to the family soon to pay his respects.
The congressman said he’s coordinating with local veterans’ groups to see what the family might need to get through this difficult time.
“One of the hardest things to do is to go and visit the family,” Cuellar said. “I do plan to do that soon as I did a few years ago when another soldier of the same local area died as well in service. It’s something sad, and us with other local veteran groups will do everything possible to provide all the help necessary to the family as it is something very important to do.”
There is currently no word on when Espinoza’s body will be returned to the United States.