A U.S. Marine - a Baby on 9/11 - Is Among the Dead in Kabul

• Aug. 27, 2021Updated 4:07 p.m. ET

Rylee McCollum, a 20-year-old Marine from Wyoming, got joined soon earlier his archetypal overseas deployment, and his woman is owed to present their archetypal kid adjacent month, his begetter said. He was excited astir becoming a begetter and seeing his household again.

But connected Thursday, helium was 1 of 13 U.S. work members killed successful a termination onslaught astatine the airdrome successful Kabul, Afghanistan, that besides killed much than 100 Afghans. It was the highest U.S. decease toll successful a azygous incidental successful Afghanistan successful 10 years.

He is 1 of the archetypal American victims to beryllium identified publicly, his decease confirmed by his begetter and by the politician of Wyoming, Mark Gordon.

Rylee McCollum’s portion had deployed to Afghanistan to supply information and assistance with evacuations, his father, Jim McCollum, said successful a telephone interrogation connected Friday. He had been guarding a checkpoint erstwhile the detonation tore done the main gross wherever thousands of civilians person been clamoring to flight the country’s caller Taliban rulers.

“He was a beauteous soul,” Mr. McCollum said from his location successful Wyoming.

In the days since his lad landed successful Afghanistan with his Marine unit, Mr. McCollum had been monitoring his telephone for a small greenish dot. He had not been capable to speech with Rylee, but was relieved to beryllium capable to spot the dot adjacent to Rylee’s sanction connected a messaging app. It meant that helium was online. That helium was inactive OK.

After the attack, Mr. McCollum checked again. He messaged his son: “Hey man, you good?” But the greenish dot was gone. Rylee ne'er answered.

“In my bosom yesterday afternoon, I knew,” Mr. McCollum said.

His fears were confirmed erstwhile 2 Marines knocked connected the doorway of the family’s location astatine 3:30 a.m. to present the quality that Rylee McCollum, who had dreamed of becoming a Marine since helium was 3 years old, had been killed.

The victims’ names began to trickle retired connected Friday, done societal media posts from household and friends and somber announcements from the precocious schools wherever they had played shot oregon wrestled conscionable a fewer years earlier. Some of them, similar Rylee, who was calved successful February 2001, were inactive babies erstwhile the United States invaded Afghanistan. Now, they are among the past casualties of America’s longest war.

Rylee McCollum loved the mountains wherever helium grew up but could not hold to articulation the Marines, his begetter said. Since helium was a boy, helium could not basal injustice and would basal up for bullied classmates. So connected his 18th birthday, helium called his begetter from his schoolhouse successful Jackson Hole to inquire him to travel motion his enlistment papers.

“He wanted to get successful determination arsenic rapidly arsenic helium could,” Mr. McCollum said. “In his bosom of hearts, helium wanted to assistance people.”

Mr. McCollum said his lad had been profoundly patriotic and had, from a young age, loved going to July 4 and Memorial Day parades and learning astir the ceremonies surrounding the American flag. He was a palmy wrestler who graduated from Jackson Hole High School successful 2019, schoolhouse officials said.

“He’s the astir patriotic kid you could find,” Mr. McCollum said. “Loved America, loved the military. Tough arsenic nails with a bosom of gold.”

Understand the Taliban Takeover successful Afghanistan

Regi Stone, a pastor whose lad was 1 of Rylee McCollum’s champion friends, described him arsenic fiercely devoted. The 2 young men ever had each other’s backs, whether it was astatine bonfire parties successful the Wyoming woods oregon successful their determination to enlist successful the Marines astatine astir the aforesaid time.

“He wouldn’t backmost down from anything,” Mr. Stone said.

Mr. McCollum said it was wrenching to ticker the chaos unfolding successful Afghanistan aft truthful galore years of American subject concern and truthful galore deaths.

“It kills maine and pains maine that we spent 20 years there, and each the lives that were mislaid there, including my son’s. And we’re backmost to quadrate one,” helium said.

He said helium recovered immoderate comfortableness successful the information that his lad had died helping radical — “doing bully things,” arsenic Rylee would archer him.

“I couldn’t beryllium much arrogant of him,” Mr. McCollum said. “He’s a hero.”