President Biden participates in the dignified transfer of the remains of a fallen soldier at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware on August 29, 2021. SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
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SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
President Biden participates in the dignified transfer of the remains of a fallen soldier at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware on August 29, 2021.
SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
DOVER, Del. – As officers in white gloves carried their comrade’s flag-covered suitcase from the C-17 military aircraft, the silence of their gentle steps was broken by the soft screams of fear from a loved one.
It was just one of several emotional moments during the heartbreaking ritual when the remains of 13 US soldiers killed in Kabul were returned to their families.
President Biden raised his right hand over his heart as the remains of the fallen soldiers were carefully carried one by one across the asphalt of waiting vehicles.
This was Biden’s first visit to Dover Air Force Base as President to honor dead soldiers and comfort their loved ones.
The dead included 11 Marines, one Army soldier, and one Navy member. They were killed by a suicide bomber while helping those arriving at Kabul airport during the chaotic evacuation of Americans and Afghan partners.
Biden was stoic with the families as porters from every branch of the military brought their comrades to the waiting vehicles. He bowed his head after each of the fallen was lifted into the dark vans.
It was so quiet that the officers’ footsteps could be heard under orders from the marching officers and the hum of a military aircraft overhead.
The president and his wife, Jill, met privately with family members from each of the 13 families.
“The 13 soldiers we lost were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our highest American ideals while saving the lives of others,” Biden said in a statement on Saturday. “Their courage and selflessness have so far enabled more than 117,000 people at risk to get to safety.”
The President and First Lady led a group of aides – including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley – on the somber ritual.
Strict rules to protect grieving family members limited the amount of videos and photographs. Audio was forbidden.
The 13 soldiers we lost were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our highest American ideals while saving the lives of others. Our sacred obligation to the families of these heroes will last forever. pic.twitter.com/lPx4a4ebS7
President Biden (@POTUS) August 29, 2021
The families of 11 of the 13 soldiers who fell allowed the media to cover the event.
Among them were the families of:
Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee;
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, from Salt Lake City, Utah;
Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Mass .;
Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, from Sacramento, California;
Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, Omaha, Neb .;
Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Ind .;
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, from Rio Bravo, Texas.
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri;
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California;
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California;
Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, from Berlin Heights, Ohio.
President Biden and his aides traveled to Dover, Delaware, to pay their respects and comfort to the families of the 13 US soldiers killed in Afghanistan last week. SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images Hide caption
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SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
President Biden and his aides traveled to Dover, Delaware, to pay their respects and comfort to the families of the 13 US soldiers killed in Afghanistan last week.
SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
Two remains of two others who were killed in Kabul – Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California; and Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyo – was also transferred on Sunday.
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