Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover

Staff Sergeant Darin T. Hoover was a 31-year-old U.S. Marine from Salt Lake City, Utah. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, which was part of the security forces deployed to Kabul under the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

On August 26, 2021, at approximately 5:48 p.m. local time, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest in a dense crowd outside the airport's Abbey Gate. Hoover was among the 13 U.S. service members killed at the gate. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for the attack, which also killed at least 170 Afghan civilians.

The bombing occurred during the final days of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, following the Taliban's takeover of the country in mid-August 2021. U.S. and allied forces were conducting a non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) for foreign nationals and at-risk Afghans, creating large crowds outside the airport perimeter.

Hoover's father, Darin Hoover, told media his son was a leader who always put himself in front of his men. The 13 service members killed were returned to the U.S. at a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base. President Joe Biden met with their families.

Staff Sergeant Hoover was posthumously promoted from Sergeant to Staff Sergeant. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal. His name is inscribed on a memorial at Camp Pendleton, California, honoring Marines from his battalion who died in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover was killed during US Afghanistan Withdrawal ? Abbey Gate (ongoing since August 2021). The conflict is ongoing. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Golden, Jonathan Joseph, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, Sgt. Declan Coady.

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