Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover. (Jeremy Soto/Facebook)
SALT LAKE CITY — The family of a Marine from Utah confirms to KSL NewsRadio that he was among the 13 American service members killed in a suicide bomb attack outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The father of the Utah Marine, identified as Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, spoke with KSL TV’s Alex Cabrero Friday afternoon about his son. Before that, Darin Hoover posted an emotional farewell to his son on Facebook calling him a hero and ending with, “I’ll try to make you proud.”
Thursday, a suicide bomber’s explosion outside the Kabul airport killed more than 100 Afghans and 13 US troops dead. It was the most lethal day for American forces in Afghanistan in 10 years.
Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, was chatting with Inside Sources host Boyd Matheson on KSL NewsRadio when word broke of Hoover’s death.
“My heart goes out to his family,” Moore said on the program Friday. “There’s an amazing defense and veteran community in Utah. And this is just this is this is heartbreaking.”
Moore said Utah can be proud of the work Hoover did to help evacuate Americans and Afghan citizens from the war-torn country before his death.
“There’s over 100,000 people that have been evacuated, and that’s on his legacy, to be a part of that,” Moore said, choking up. “Many people will live amazing lives, and we’ll welcome many to Utah. And this will be remembered as something, that Utahns will get behind him.”
Flags have been lowered at the Utah State Capitol in Hoover’s honor. Governor Spencer Cox issued a statement saying his family was devastated to hear of Hoover’s passing, adding that he served valiantly as a Marine and died serving his countrymen as well as American allies in Afghanistan.
The statement also says…
“We honor his tremendous bravery and commitment to his country, even as we condemn the senseless violence that resulted in his death. Abby and I pray for Staff Sgt. Hoover, his family and loved ones during this most difficult time.”
Utah Senator Mike Lee is also sending his condolences, saying “burying a child is a grief no parent should bear.”
