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Indio, California – This article is part of a Fox News Digital series examining the consequences of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan a year ago this week.
Cpl. Hunter Lopez said at Kabul airport he saw two girls fighting in a sea of people desperate to escape Taliban rule.
“Hunters jump into the pits,” Marine mother Alicia Lopez told Fox News.
“Whose child does that?” she asked. “I did.”
These are US soldiers killed in Kabul airport attack
Hunter grabbed one girl, took her to safety, then went back and retrieved the second girl. rice field.
“He said this was the last time he saw him,” Alicia told Fox News.
The 22-year-old Hunter was one of 13 US soldiers killed in a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 26, 2021 during the evacuation of Afghanistan. The blast killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and injured more than 150.
‘sense of duty’
Hunter was born into a family with a rich tradition of military and community service. That tradition had a great influence on his upbringing.
“Hunter as a teenager was very mature for his age,” his father, Herman Lopez, told Fox News. I had a direction of where I wanted to go.”
“I like to describe him as the All-American kid,” Herman said. “He was always like a leader.”
Alicia adds:
Hunter enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2017, just three months after graduating from high school. He served on the Marine Corps Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team, an elite unit of the Corps Security Force Regiment standing by to respond to threats to the Navy, Marines, and other U.S. interests.
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“I think he thought of himself as a protector,” Herman told Fox News. had.”
His parents said Hunter was obsessed with physical conditioning, training, preparation, and Star Wars.
“He read the books, he knew all the characters, he knew the planets, he knew the quotes from the movies,” Herman told Fox News. did.”
“Whether it was a movie, training, physical conditioning, whatever he did, he always wanted to be the best at it.” It had to be done.”
“He said he didn’t want to be the reason someone didn’t go home,” Alicia said.
Hunter was deployed in Jordan when he was ordered to deploy to Afghanistan. He stayed there for several months, and in August or September he was due to return to the United States.
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“It will be his last deployment,” Herman said.
An Afghan military friend told Hunter about the chaotic situation in Kabul. First-hand testimony has repeatedly emphasized that US military personnel were working around the clock in an attempt to maintain order at the airport.
“It frustrated him that he couldn’t go there and help them,” Herman said. I also wanted to be there.”
Hunter went to work as soon as he arrived in Kabul and was unable to speak to his family for several days. When he did so, he detailed the scene.
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“He described the situation they were facing… trying to deal with the incredible number of people trying to get into the airport,” Herman told Fox News.
Alicia said she was “proud to be his mother” for Hunter’s brave actions.
“We are proud of him and the work he has done,” she told Fox News. “Now it’s our turn to continue his mission of helping others.”
Michael Lee and Andrew Murray contributed to this report.