Taylor Hoover.Photo: FacebookWhen terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, 11-year-old Taylor Hoover found a new passion that he eagerly shared with his father, Darin Hoover.“He said, ‘Dad, I’m going to join,” Darin tells PEOPLE of his son’s wish to enter the military.And indeed he did. By the time he was 20, Taylor was in the Marines Corps, serving for more than a decade before he was killed on Aug. 26in a suicide bombing and gun attack at the Afghanistan capital airport, along with 12 other American military personnel and 170 Afghans packing the area in hopes of flying to safetyfrom the Taliban.Taylor was a 31-year-old staff sergeant serving his third tour of duty in Afghanistan"This came," his dad says, “as an acute blow.“Taylor grew up with two younger sisters, now in their 20s, who called him”‘Bubba.” “They both looked up to him for everything,” says Darin, 53, a police officer. “If they’d get in a bind in their personal lives, he was the first one they’d call. It wasn’t me or their mom. It was always Bubba.“Known as a big jokester, “he had a magnetic personality that just drew everybody in, and he had a big smile for everybody,” says Darin. “He’s an awesome kid.“Taylor Hoover.FacebookTaylor dreamed of having children, with fiancée Nicole Weiss and living in California. When visiting younger cousins, his dad recalls, “He’d get down on the floor and go crazy with them. Family always came first.“Darin last spoke to his son about a month and a half before his death, while Taylor was already in Afghanistan.“His mother and I talked to him for quite a long time,” says Darin. “He was very positive, very upbeat, very hot.“The Taliban, meanwhile, would shockinglysweep to powerin the middle of August, prompting numerous Afghans to rush to the Kabul airport and flee before PresidentJoe Biden’s Aug. 31 date for completing the withdrawal of U.S. forces at the end of the 20-year war.Taylor and other U.S. troops were assisting with evacuation efforts at the airport when they were attacked. (A branch of the Islamic State claimed responsibility.)Taylor Hoover.FacebookOn the morning of Aug. 29, Taylor’s dad, his mom, Kelly Barnett of Missouri, and his fiancéewere at Maryland’s Dover Air Force Base, where his remains and those of the 12 other military men and women were delivered.They then flew on a chartered jet to Utah, for a vigil in Taylor’s honor, theSalt Lake Tribunereports.That night, his uncle, Billy “BB” Barnett, told the crowd of hundreds: “This takes your breath and crushes your heart. But I realize that with every mention of his name, we honor him. He deserves this plus so much more.”
Taylor Hoover.Photo: Facebook
When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, 11-year-old Taylor Hoover found a new passion that he eagerly shared with his father, Darin Hoover.“He said, ‘Dad, I’m going to join,” Darin tells PEOPLE of his son’s wish to enter the military.And indeed he did. By the time he was 20, Taylor was in the Marines Corps, serving for more than a decade before he was killed on Aug. 26in a suicide bombing and gun attack at the Afghanistan capital airport, along with 12 other American military personnel and 170 Afghans packing the area in hopes of flying to safetyfrom the Taliban.Taylor was a 31-year-old staff sergeant serving his third tour of duty in Afghanistan"This came,” his dad says, “as an acute blow.“Taylor grew up with two younger sisters, now in their 20s, who called him”‘Bubba.” “They both looked up to him for everything,” says Darin, 53, a police officer. “If they’d get in a bind in their personal lives, he was the first one they’d call. It wasn’t me or their mom. It was always Bubba.“Known as a big jokester, “he had a magnetic personality that just drew everybody in, and he had a big smile for everybody,” says Darin. “He’s an awesome kid.“Taylor Hoover.FacebookTaylor dreamed of having children, with fiancée Nicole Weiss and living in California. When visiting younger cousins, his dad recalls, “He’d get down on the floor and go crazy with them. Family always came first.“Darin last spoke to his son about a month and a half before his death, while Taylor was already in Afghanistan.“His mother and I talked to him for quite a long time,” says Darin. “He was very positive, very upbeat, very hot.“The Taliban, meanwhile, would shockinglysweep to powerin the middle of August, prompting numerous Afghans to rush to the Kabul airport and flee before PresidentJoe Biden’s Aug. 31 date for completing the withdrawal of U.S. forces at the end of the 20-year war.Taylor and other U.S. troops were assisting with evacuation efforts at the airport when they were attacked. (A branch of the Islamic State claimed responsibility.)Taylor Hoover.FacebookOn the morning of Aug. 29, Taylor’s dad, his mom, Kelly Barnett of Missouri, and his fiancéewere at Maryland’s Dover Air Force Base, where his remains and those of the 12 other military men and women were delivered.They then flew on a chartered jet to Utah, for a vigil in Taylor’s honor, theSalt Lake Tribunereports.That night, his uncle, Billy “BB” Barnett, told the crowd of hundreds: “This takes your breath and crushes your heart. But I realize that with every mention of his name, we honor him. He deserves this plus so much more.”
When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, 11-year-old Taylor Hoover found a new passion that he eagerly shared with his father, Darin Hoover.
“He said, ‘Dad, I’m going to join,” Darin tells PEOPLE of his son’s wish to enter the military.
And indeed he did. By the time he was 20, Taylor was in the Marines Corps, serving for more than a decade before he was killed on Aug. 26in a suicide bombing and gun attack at the Afghanistan capital airport, along with 12 other American military personnel and 170 Afghans packing the area in hopes of flying to safetyfrom the Taliban.
Taylor was a 31-year-old staff sergeant serving his third tour of duty in Afghanistan
“This came,” his dad says, “as an acute blow.”
Taylor grew up with two younger sisters, now in their 20s, who called him”‘Bubba.” “They both looked up to him for everything,” says Darin, 53, a police officer. “If they’d get in a bind in their personal lives, he was the first one they’d call. It wasn’t me or their mom. It was always Bubba.”
Known as a big jokester, “he had a magnetic personality that just drew everybody in, and he had a big smile for everybody,” says Darin. “He’s an awesome kid.”
Taylor Hoover.Facebook
Taylor dreamed of having children, with fiancée Nicole Weiss and living in California. When visiting younger cousins, his dad recalls, “He’d get down on the floor and go crazy with them. Family always came first.”
Darin last spoke to his son about a month and a half before his death, while Taylor was already in Afghanistan.
“His mother and I talked to him for quite a long time,” says Darin. “He was very positive, very upbeat, very hot.”
The Taliban, meanwhile, would shockinglysweep to powerin the middle of August, prompting numerous Afghans to rush to the Kabul airport and flee before PresidentJoe Biden’s Aug. 31 date for completing the withdrawal of U.S. forces at the end of the 20-year war.
Taylor and other U.S. troops were assisting with evacuation efforts at the airport when they were attacked. (A branch of the Islamic State claimed responsibility.)
On the morning of Aug. 29, Taylor’s dad, his mom, Kelly Barnett of Missouri, and his fiancéewere at Maryland’s Dover Air Force Base, where his remains and those of the 12 other military men and women were delivered.
They then flew on a chartered jet to Utah, for a vigil in Taylor’s honor, theSalt Lake Tribunereports.
That night, his uncle, Billy “BB” Barnett, told the crowd of hundreds: “This takes your breath and crushes your heart. But I realize that with every mention of his name, we honor him. He deserves this plus so much more.”
source: people.com
