[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 14, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6474-S6475]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the nomination.
  The legislative clerk read the nomination of Angel Kelley, of 
Massachusetts, to be United States District Judge for the District of 
Massachusetts.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.


            Honoring Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, Jr.

  Mr. LEE. Madam President, the United States lost 13 servicemembers in 
Afghanistan on August 26, 2021. The heroic service and the ultimate 
sacrifice of these men and women will never be forgotten. They are 
Marine LCpl David L. Espinoza from Texas, Marine Sgt Nicole L. Gee from 
California, Marine SSgt Darin Taylor Hoover from Utah, Army SSG Ryan C. 
Knauss from Tennessee, Marine Cpl Hunter Lopez from California, Marine 
LCpl Rylee J. McCollum from Wyoming, Marine LCpl Dylan R. Merola from 
California, Marine LCpl Kareem M. Nikoui from California, Marine Sgt 
Johanny Rosario Pichardo from Massachusetts, Marine Cpl Humberto A. 
Sanchez from Indiana, Marine LCpl Jared M. Schmitz from Missouri, Navy 
Hospital Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak from Ohio, and Marine Cpl Daegan W. 
Page from Nebraska. Over the next hour, Senators representing many of 
these fallen servicemembers and the States from which they hail will 
honor their service and their memory.
  Utah's SSgt Darin Taylor Hoover was only 11 years old on September 
11, 2001. From that moment on, he knew that he wanted to serve his 
country. Nearly 21 years later, he was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, 
performing his duty valiantly, as always, as a U.S. marine.
  Staff Sergeant Hoover and his fellow marines were on the frontlines 
of the operation, securing an entrance to the Hamid Karzai 
International Airport and screening vulnerable Afghans on their escape 
to safety as the extremist Taliban took hold of their country.
  Staff Sergeant Hoover was killed by an ISIS-K suicide attack that 
targeted him, his teammates, and the surrounding innocent civilians.
  Staff Sergeant Hoover, like all marines, learned the Marine Corps' 
values at boot camp. Those values are honor, courage, and commitment. 
He was told that being a marine and living these values does not begin 
or end with training or service as an Active-Duty marine; these values 
forever guide marines' decisions, their service, and, in fact, their 
entire lives.
  Staff Sergeant Hoover lived these values throughout his entire life. 
You see, Staff Sergeant Hoover did, always, what he said he would do. 
He was honest, respectful, caring, and compassionate. He dedicated his 
life to the service of others, in and out of uniform. He wanted to be 
the best and to provide the very best for others, and he was always 
willing to work hard to make that happen.
  His friends and his family knew him as a loving, thoughtful, hard-
working man. He loved and was dedicated to serving those around him, 
his family, and his country. As a young man, he made a lasting 
impression on those who knew him. They described him as--and these are 
their words, not mine--``the best friend,'' ``selfless,'' ``always 
levelheaded,'' ``hard-working,'' ``a teammate you could count on,'' ``a 
born leader,'' and as ``a good, kind person.'' By being the type of man 
he was, he honored those who knew him. He honored the uniform he wore. 
And in his service and sacrifice, he honored the United States by 
representing and being the best of us.
  Staff Sergeant Hoover certainly knew the risks of his duty. He 
understood the risks of this deployment in particular. In particular, 
he knew what was at stake and on the line on this particular day.
  American civilians had been warned not to travel to the airport due 
to specific credible threats of an attack. The marines at the gate did 
not, of course, have the option of standing down or shirking their 
duty; they had a mission to complete. Despite knowing the very real 
threat to their lives that day, Staff Sergeant Hoover and his marines 
followed orders and did their duty. They stood in close physical 
proximity with hundreds as they checked identification and shuffled 
people through the gate one after the other. They didn't know if or 
ultimately when an

[[Page S6475]]

attack might come; they just knew of the threat. Nonetheless, those 
marines carried on, guiding countless innocent civilians to safety.
  His father Darin put it best. He said:

       That's just the type of man that he was, doing what he 
     needed to do and getting the job done for those that couldn't 
     do it for themselves, and he was standing out front leading 
     his men.

  You see, Staff Sergeant Hoover demonstrated uncommon courage in 
fulfilling his duty that day, as with all other days in which he 
valiantly served.
  This was not Mr. Hoover's first deployment to Afghanistan. In fact, 
he served three tours of duty there in his 11 years in the Marine 
Corps. He knew what war and Afghanistan were like. He decided to carry 
on and continue serving because that is what he had committed to do. 
Since high school, he knew he wanted to be a marine specifically. His 
father said that ``he was dead set on it.''
  When the news in Afghanistan developed, Staff Sergeant Hoover told 
his family he wanted to be in the action to help with the evacuation 
mission. He died doing what he loved: serving his country and leading 
his men.
  Staff Sergeant Hoover was the oldest of the 13 servicemembers killed 
in this attack. His life had been defined by his love of family and of 
country. He was committed to serving, and he lived and gave his life, 
showing the last full measure of devotion, demonstrating exactly what 
it means to be a U.S. marine.
  Staff Sergeant Hoover leaves a legacy with his family, the State of 
Utah, and our Nation. He represents the best among us and the 
commitment of a servicemember and a marine. His dedication to the 
values of the Marine Corps and full-fledged devotion to what is right 
will remain with us forever. He will never be forgotten.
  As the preparations are made to inter him along with other American 
heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, he can behold what the Marine 
Corps hymn promises and millions of good marines before him have seen: 
On Heaven's scenes, you will find the streets are guarded by United 
States marines.
  Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover joined the ranks of American heroes 
before him, always faithful. May God rest his soul, may God comfort his 
family, and may God bless us with the honor, courage, and commitment 
that Taylor Hoover truly lived.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.