As names and ages roll in on some of the U.S. service members killed in Kabul, we are reminded how much young men and women in uniform, often in their teens or early 20s, do for our nation.
This is Hospitalman Maxton William Soviak. He was 22 and from Ohio.
He was among the 13 U.S. troops killed in the Kabul bombing.
RIP.
This is Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover. He was 31 and from Utah.
He was among the U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo. She was 25 and from Massachusetts.
She was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui. He was 20 and from California.
He was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum (right). He was 20 and from Wyoming.
He was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee (holding the baby at left). She was 23 and from California.
She was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Marine Lance Cpl. David Espinoza. He was 20 and from Texas.
He was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. He was 23 and from Tennessee.
He was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez. He was 22 and from California.
He was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola. He was 20 and from California.
He was among the U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Marine Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page. He was 23 and from Nebraska.
He was among the U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz. He was 20 and from Missouri.
He was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
This is Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez. He was 22 and from Indiana.
He was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul bombing.
Most of these Americans never knew a nation at peace, as this new story points out.
While many Americans who Iong ago tuned out our wars are shocked to learn of the ages and backgrounds of these fallen service members, they are very much representative of who signs up to defend the nation.
They also fit right with those who died before them in 20 years of conflict.
Men. Women. Mostly young. Some straight out of high school, most likely.
This is our military in a nutshell.
RIP.
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@iarnsdorf @jdawsey1 After months of disagreements, a group of military families who lost loved ones in a bombing during the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan gathered on a Zoom call last December.
On the line with them was a 35-year-old Republican operative and Marine Corps veteran who some saw as helpful and others saw as divisive.
Enough new has bubbled up about the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan, and the Gold Star families who lost loved ones in it, that I’m weighing in here – with care – to add context to the messaging we’re seeing.
For those new here, I do so as someone who has spent a lot of time over the last three years covering both the aftermath and fallout of the evacuation.
My work on that front was recognized with a Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for coverage in 2022. I care about this story, and politicians of many stripes have found one aspect or another of my coverage inconvenient.
Can confirm five U.S. Army Special Operations troops killed in a helicopter refueling accident off the southeastern coast of Cyprus on Saturday morning, according to U.S. officials familiar with the incident.
1/X
The troops were in the region as part of broader American contingency planning due to the war in Gaza, which has included preparations for possible evacuations from both Lebanon and Israel if they are needed.
U.S. officials privately are saying the same as their publicly pronouncements: This was a training exercise aimed at staying sharp in case they were needed later.
After joining the Guard, "In November 2022, the Defendant stated that if he had his way, he would “kill a [expletive] ton of people” because it would be “culling the weak minded.”
"Also in February 2023, the Defendant sought advice from another user about what type of rifle would be easy to operate from the back of an SUV. He describes how he would conduct the shooting in a 'crowded urban or suburban environment.' "
Out of an abundance of sensitivity, The Post had held back on publishing this while family notifications are still ongoing this afternoon and evening.
In a phone interview this morning, a Biden administration official made the case to me that this killing highlights how inhospitable the Taliban has made Afghanistan to ISIS-K. But like so much else about the country, it's complicated.
In breakfast event with reporters, @SecArmy says today that options are being drawn up now to determine how the U.S. will send Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
The path ahead, she said, is "still to be determined." All possible options will take months. Others could take a year or two.
@SecArmy The planning comes after the Biden administration decided last month to send Abrams tanks through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, an effort through which the Pentagon buys weapons for Ukraine and send them, rather than providing arms already in the U.S. arsenal.
. @SecArmy, speaking during a Defense Writers Group gathering, suggested that tanks already committed to other allies and partners is part of the options to consider.