Executive Calendar
Floor Speech
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Mr. LEE. Madam President, the United States lost 13 servicemembers in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021. The heroic service and the ultimate sacrifice of these men and women will never be forgotten. They are Marine LCpl David L. Espinoza from Texas, Marine Sgt Nicole L. Gee from California, Marine SSgt Darin Taylor Hoover from Utah, Army SSG Ryan C. Knauss from Tennessee, Marine Cpl Hunter Lopez from California, Marine LCpl Rylee J. McCollum from Wyoming, Marine LCpl Dylan R. Merola from California, Marine LCpl Kareem M. Nikoui from California, Marine Sgt Johanny Rosario Pichardo from Massachusetts, Marine Cpl Humberto A. Sanchez from Indiana, Marine LCpl Jared M. Schmitz from Missouri, Navy Hospital Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak from Ohio, and Marine Cpl Daegan W. Page from Nebraska. Over the next hour, Senators representing many of these fallen servicemembers and the States from which they hail will honor their service and their memory.
Utah's SSgt Darin Taylor Hoover was only 11 years old on September 11, 2001. From that moment on, he knew that he wanted to serve his country. Nearly 21 years later, he was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, performing his duty valiantly, as always, as a U.S. marine.
Staff Sergeant Hoover and his fellow marines were on the frontlines of the operation, securing an entrance to the Hamid Karzai International Airport and screening vulnerable Afghans on their escape to safety as the extremist Taliban took hold of their country.
Staff Sergeant Hoover was killed by an ISIS-K suicide attack that targeted him, his teammates, and the surrounding innocent civilians.
Staff Sergeant Hoover, like all marines, learned the Marine Corps' values at boot camp. Those values are honor, courage, and commitment. He was told that being a marine and living these values does not begin or end with training or service as an Active-Duty marine; these values forever guide marines' decisions, their service, and, in fact, their entire lives.
Staff Sergeant Hoover lived these values throughout his entire life. You see, Staff Sergeant Hoover did, always, what he said he would do. He was honest, respectful, caring, and compassionate. He dedicated his life to the service of others, in and out of uniform. He wanted to be the best and to provide the very best for others, and he was always willing to work hard to make that happen.
His friends and his family knew him as a loving, thoughtful, hard- working man. He loved and was dedicated to serving those around him, his family, and his country. As a young man, he made a lasting impression on those who knew him. They described him as--and these are their words, not mine--``the best friend,'' ``selfless,'' ``always levelheaded,'' ``hard-working,'' ``a teammate you could count on,'' ``a born leader,'' and as ``a good, kind person.'' By being the type of man he was, he honored those who knew him. He honored the uniform he wore. And in his service and sacrifice, he honored the United States by representing and being the best of us.
Staff Sergeant Hoover certainly knew the risks of his duty. He understood the risks of this deployment in particular. In particular, he knew what was at stake and on the line on this particular day.
American civilians had been warned not to travel to the airport due to specific credible threats of an attack. The marines at the gate did not, of course, have the option of standing down or shirking their duty; they had a mission to complete. Despite knowing the very real threat to their lives that day, Staff Sergeant Hoover and his marines followed orders and did their duty. They stood in close physical proximity with hundreds as they checked identification and shuffled people through the gate one after the other. They didn't know if or ultimately when an attack might come; they just knew of the threat. Nonetheless, those marines carried on, guiding countless innocent civilians to safety.
His father Darin put it best. He said:
That's just the type of man that he was, doing what he needed to do and getting the job done for those that couldn't do it for themselves, and he was standing out front leading his men.
You see, Staff Sergeant Hoover demonstrated uncommon courage in fulfilling his duty that day, as with all other days in which he valiantly served.
This was not Mr. Hoover's first deployment to Afghanistan. In fact, he served three tours of duty there in his 11 years in the Marine Corps. He knew what war and Afghanistan were like. He decided to carry on and continue serving because that is what he had committed to do. Since high school, he knew he wanted to be a marine specifically. His father said that ``he was dead set on it.''
When the news in Afghanistan developed, Staff Sergeant Hoover told his family he wanted to be in the action to help with the evacuation mission. He died doing what he loved: serving his country and leading his men.
Staff Sergeant Hoover was the oldest of the 13 servicemembers killed in this attack. His life had been defined by his love of family and of country. He was committed to serving, and he lived and gave his life, showing the last full measure of devotion, demonstrating exactly what it means to be a U.S. marine.
Staff Sergeant Hoover leaves a legacy with his family, the State of Utah, and our Nation. He represents the best among us and the commitment of a servicemember and a marine. His dedication to the values of the Marine Corps and full-fledged devotion to what is right will remain with us forever. He will never be forgotten.
As the preparations are made to inter him along with other American heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, he can behold what the Marine Corps hymn promises and millions of good marines before him have seen: On Heaven's scenes, you will find the streets are guarded by United States marines.
Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover joined the ranks of American heroes before him, always faithful. May God rest his soul, may God comfort his family, and may God bless us with the honor, courage, and commitment that Taylor Hoover truly lived.
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