Hoover, Darin Taylor

Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover was a U.S. Marine assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, part of the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command. He was from Salt Lake City, Utah, and was based at Camp Pendleton, California.

Hoover was killed on August 26, 2021, during the evacuation of Kabul. A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport. The blast killed 13 U.S. service members, including Hoover, and at least 170 Afghan civilians. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack occurred during the final days of Operation Allies Refuge, the non-combatant evacuation operation concluding the U.S. war in Afghanistan. It took place under the umbrella of Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. counter-terrorism mission that succeeded the larger combat operation, Enduring Freedom, in 2015.

In the immediate aftermath, Hoover and the other fallen service members were honored in a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base. The U.S. Department of Defense posthumously promoted Hoover from the rank of Sergeant to Staff Sergeant. His death was widely reported in national and international media.

Hoover was remembered by his unit and family as a dedicated Marine and leader. A memorial service was held in Utah, and his name is inscribed on memorials honoring those killed in the attack.

Darin Hoover was killed during Operation Freedom's Sentinel (2015?2021). The conflict concluded in August 2021 with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Golden, Jonathan Joseph, Sanchez, Maria Victoria, Dawson, John Michael, Ruiz, Pablo Allende Iii.

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