13 Service Members Killed in Kabul Bombing Posthumously Awarded Purple Hearts
An honor detail of US Navy sailors renders honors while receiving the remains of Petty Officer 3rd Class Maxton W. Soviak, a Berlin Heights, Ohio native, at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Maddelin Hamm.
The Navy corpsman killed in a suicide bombing Aug. 26 during the Kabul evacuation in Afghanistan has been posthumously promoted and, along with the 12 other service members killed during the attack, awarded the Purple Heart.
The 13 service members died as they were overseeing the entry of refugees through the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
On Tuesday, Sept. 7, the Navy announced corpsman Maxton “Max” Soviak, 22, had been posthumously promoted to the rank of petty officer third class. Soviak was also awarded the Purple Heart and Fleet Marine Force Corpsman warfare badge, according to a Navy press release.
“Petty Officer Soviak gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to this country,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in the release.
The Associated Press reported the 12 other service members killed in the attack were also awarded Purple Hearts.
The 13 American service members killed in the Aug. 26 bombing were:
Lance Cpl. David Lee Espinoza, USMC | Laredo, TX
Sgt. Nicole Gee, USMC | Roseville, CA
Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, USMC | Salt Lake City, UT
Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, US Army | Knoxville, TN
Cpl. Hunter Lopez, USMC | Indio, CA
Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, USMC | Bondurant, WY
Cpl. Dylan Merola, USMC | Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, USMC | Norco, CA
Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page, USMC | Omaha, NE
Sgt. Johanny Rosario, USMC | Lawrence, MA
Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, USMC | Logansport, IN
Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, USMC | Wentzville, MO
Navy Corpsman Maxton Soviak, US Navy | Berlin Heights, OH
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Hannah Ray Lambert is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die who previously covered everything from murder trials to high school trap shooting teams. She spent several months getting tear gassed during the 2020-2021 civil unrest in Portland, Oregon. When she’s not working, Hannah enjoys hiking, reading, and talking about authors and books on her podcast Between Lewis and Lovecraft.
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