DOVER, Del. — President Joe Biden paid his respects to U.S. troops killed in the Kabul airport terrorist attack on Thursday, the most solemn event as Commander in Chief.
Biden along with First Lady Jill Biden, met with the families of the slain service members before the “dignified transfer” took place at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
11 of the 13 troops killed were Marines; one was a Navy sailor and one was an Army soldier.
The Pentagon released the names of the fallen: Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah; Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Mass.; Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, Calif.; Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, Calif.; Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Neb.; Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Ind.; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Mo.; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyo.; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, Calif.; Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio; and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tenn.
Biden receiving the U.S. troops came just hours after the United States conducted a second airstrike on ISIS-K, who were planning yet a second attack on the Kabul airport.
In a statement on Saturday, the President announced another attack was likely in the next 24-36 hours, praised the U.S. troops, and vowed another strike could be coming.
“The 13 service members that we lost were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our highest American ideals and while saving the lives of others,” Biden said. “Their bravery and selflessness has enabled more than 117,000 people at risk to reach safety thus far. May God protect our troops and all those standing watch in these dangerous days.”
