McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A Marine from the border city of Laredo was among 13 individuals posthumously presented with the Congressional Gold Medal on Tuesday during a ceremony honoring those who died in a blast as U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.
Marine Lance Cpl. David Lee Espinoza was killed Aug. 26, 2021, along with 12 other service members when a suicide bomber detonated a blast at the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport as U.S. troops were in the process of withdrawing from Afghanistan.
“That is a the highest award that Congress can give,” U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, told reporters after Tuesday morning’s ceremony in Washington, D.C.
“This medal, which was awarded to each of the 13 heroes with something very, very, very special,” Cuellar said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson presented the medals Tuesday during a ceremony in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.
A bipartisan bill was passed to honor these servicemembers who “went above and beyond the call of duty to protect citizens of the United States and our allies to ensure they are brought to safety in an extremely dangerous situation as the Taliban regained control over Afghanistan,” according to the legislation.
Cuellar co-sponsored the legislation and he said that during his nearly 20 years in office, he has never been part of the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to someone from his hometown.
“This one hits home,” he said.
Espinoza was 20 when he died on what would come to be the single deadliest day of the war for the United States in over a decade. He was born in Laredo on July 10, 2001, and grew up in the nearby border town of Rio Bravo, Texas.
“Thank you to everyone for this. It’s such an honor for my son,” Espinoza’s mother, Elizabeth Holguin, told reporters on a Zoom call after the ceremony. “This is what he laid his life for. They all deserved it — all 13 of them — and just keep on speaking their names.”
The medal bears Espinoza’s name along with the 12 others killed that day, including:
Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover
Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo
Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee
Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez
Marine Cpl. Daegan Page
Marine Cpl. Humberto Sanchez
Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz
Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum
Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola
Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Maxton Soviak
Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss
When asked by Border Report where she planned to keep the medal, Holguin said she would keep it with a collection of her son’s belongings that she has in her house.
“It’s going to be there until the day I die as his mother for he deserved it. For there’s no greater love than the ones who give their life for their country and God,” Holguin said.
“This is something great that they all deserved,” Espinoza’s stepfather, Victor Dominguez, said.
“Keep them in your memories, and continue to support our military and God bless America.”
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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