President Biden honors U.S. troops killed in Kabul as remains return home

By Jennifer Jacobs and Justin Sink

Bloomberg

President Joe Biden honored U.S. work members killed successful past week’s Kabul panic attack, attending the instrumentality of their remains astatine Dover Air Force Base connected Sunday, Aug. 29, on with their families.

Biden witnessed the unloading of cases with the remains of each 13 work members who died successful the blast extracurricular the gates of Kabul airport, wherever the U.S. has been evacuating its citizens and Afghan allies aft the superior fell to the Taliban.

A Navy corpsman, an Army unit sergeant, and 11 Marines, 9 of whom were deployed unneurotic arsenic portion of the 2nd Battalion/1st Marines retired of Camp Pendleton, were killed successful the termination bombing, which wounded an further 18 U.S. work members and killed dozens of Afghans seeking to flee. Three of the Marines were from the Inland Empire.

Marines who were killed are Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas; Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Roseville, northbound of Sacramento; Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah, who was surviving successful Aliso Viejo; Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio; Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming; Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga; Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco; Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska; Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts; Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana; and Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri.

Also killed were Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio, and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee.

The accomplishment of the remains, successful what’s known arsenic a dignified transfer, marks the archetypal clip that Biden is honoring fallen U.S. troops astatine specified an lawsuit arsenic president.

He warned connected Saturday that different onslaught astatine Kabul airdrome is “highly likely” wrong the adjacent 24 to 36 hours, underscoring the menace to U.S. troops inactive connected the crushed and the governmental hazard surrounding the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that’s owed to beryllium completed connected Tuesday.

The bombing astatine the airport’s Abbey Gate, wherever the U.S. was processing imaginable evacuees, was carried retired by ISIS-K, an Afghan offshoot of the panic organization.

Biden warned the radical that the U.S. would “hunt you down and marque you pay” successful remarks Thursday nighttime pursuing the bombing. The Pentagon said Saturday the U.S. killed 2 ISIS-K members and wounded a 3rd successful a retaliatory aerial strike.

A U.S. drone onslaught connected Sunday destroyed a conveyance that posed an “imminent ISIS-K threat” to the Kabul airport, Central Command spokesperson Bill Urban said successful a statement. Explosions aft the onslaught indicated it “a important magnitude of explosive material” aboard, helium said.

As vice president, Biden took portion successful a 2016 dignified transportation ritual for a worker killed successful enactment successful Afghanistan. Barack Obama attended 2 specified events arsenic president and Donald Trump took portion successful 4 erstwhile helium was president.

Sense of Loss

Biden said Thursday helium had “some sense” of the nonaccomplishment for families of the slain work members, noting that his son, Beau Biden, had served successful the Army successful Iraq earlier dying of encephalon cancer.

”You get this feeling similar you’re being sucked into a achromatic spread successful the mediate of your chest; there’s nary mode out,” Biden said. “My bosom aches for you.”

Biden has been criticized by lawmakers and overseas leaders implicit the execution of the U.S. withdrawal. He has acknowledged his medication did not expect the speedy illness of the Afghan government.

Vigils and tributes for the work subordinate are starting to beryllium planned locally.

Today, Aug. 29, a hike up to Pumpkin Hill successful grant oregon Nikoui was organized by his erstwhile Air Force JROTC programme astatine Norco High.

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, the metropolis of Murrieta has a vigil successful grant of each the work members who died planned for 6 p.m. astatine Town Square Park successful the amphitheater. The parkland is adjacent to City Hall.

At Camp Pendleton the wives implicit respective members of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines are readying a candlelight vigil this week astatine Del Mar Beach.