13 service members killed in Kabul airport bombing up for nation’s highest medal for valor

Nine Marines and a sailor from Camp Pendleton’s 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment are among the 13 work members who whitethorn beryllium honored by posthumously receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor. Three are from Southern California.

In a ballot Monday evening, the House of Representatives agreed to assistance the nation’s highest subject grant for valor to those killed successful the bombing onslaught of the Kabul airdrome connected Aug. 26, during the last days of the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. The 13 work members were helping State Department officials evacuate U.S. citizens, Afghan interpreters and different susceptible Afghans arsenic the Taliban took implicit the country.

“The American work members went supra and beyond the telephone of work to support citizens of the United States and our allies to guarantee they are brought to information successful an highly unsafe concern arsenic the Taliban regained power implicit Afghanistan,” said the House measure that nominated the work members for their award.

The House measure was introduced by Rep. Lisa McClain, (R-Mich.), and received near-unanimous approval.

The adjacent measurement volition beryllium for the Senate to o.k. the grant and President Joe Biden volition person to motion the measure earlier the medals are fixed to the work members’ families.

In September, the 13 work members were besides posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

Three Southern California natives, Marines Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, and Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, are among the work members who would beryllium receiving the medal.