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On Tuesday evening, Canadian Rotary Club members placed thirteen flags at the entrance to Hemphill County Courthouse, in memory of every U.S. soldier killed on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, in an attack outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Eleven Marines, one Navy corpsman, and one soldier were killed as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations. The Department of Defense released the following names of the deceased: For the Marine Corps: Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, assigned to the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Naval Support Activity Bahrain; Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California, assigned to the Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah, infantry unit leader; Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California, a rifleman; Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska, a rifleman; Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana, a rifleman; Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas, a rifleman; Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri, a rifleman; Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming, a rifleman; Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, a rifleman; Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California; For the Navy: Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio, assigned to the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California; For the Army: Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee, assigned to the 9th PSYOP Battalion, 8th PSYOP Group, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. PHOTO BY WENDIE COOK
