Schmitz, Jared Marcus

Jared Marcus Schmitz was a 20-year-old from St. Charles, Missouri, who enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, part of the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force, based at Camp Pendleton, California.

On August 26, 2021, Schmitz was among the U.S. service members providing security at the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the gate, killing 13 U.S. service members 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 the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, under Operation Freedom's Sentinel. The operation, which began in January 2015, succeeded Operation Enduring Freedom and focused on training Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism missions.

Schmitz's body was returned to the United States during a transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base. His father described him as a hero who wanted to be a Marine since childhood. The attack prompted statements from U.S. political and military leaders vowing to complete the evacuation and respond to the threat.

Schmitz was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal. He was one of 13 service members killed in the attack, which was the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since 2011. His name is inscribed on memorials, including one at Camp Pendleton.

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

Among those documented in the same conflict: Golden, Jonathan Joseph, Gonzalez, Jose Juan, Sanchez, Maria Victoria, Dawson, John Michael.

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