Abbey Gate • Kabul, Afghanistan • 26 August 2021
 
HONORING CPL HUNTER LOPEZ
 
U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California, served with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, California.
 
On August 26, 2021, Cpl Lopez was killed during the enemy attack at Abbey Gate, Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, while American forces were conducting non-combatant evacuation operations.
 
Hunter was one of the 13 American service members who gave their lives that day while helping protect and evacuate others during the final days of the Kabul evacuation.
 
His name deserves to be remembered. His service deserves to be honored. His sacrifice will never be forgotten.
 
2/1 MARINES AT KABUL
Marines and Sailors of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines arrived in Kabul on August 14, 2021, as the situation in Afghanistan rapidly deteriorated.
 
Their mission was to help secure Hamid Karzai International Airport and provide safe passage for American citizens, Afghan allies, and others attempting to evacuate the country.
 
For days, the Marines worked through enormous crowds, extreme conditions, exhaustion, and an ever-present security threat.
 
Cpl Hunter Lopez stood alongside his fellow Marines during that mission.
ABBEY GATE — 26 AUGUST 2021
 
On August 26, an enemy suicide bomber attacked Abbey Gate.
 
Thirteen U.S. service members were killed, including Cpl Hunter Lopez and several of his fellow Marines from 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines.
 
Their sacrifice became forever connected with Abbey Gate and the final American evacuation from Afghanistan.
 
CPL HUNTER LOPEZ
Home: Indio, California
Age: 22
KIA: 26 August 2021

Location: Abbey Gate • Kabul, Afghanistan
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
 
We remember Cpl Hunter Lopez not simply for how he died, but for how he served.
A Marine who answered the call.
 
A brother to the Marines standing beside him.
 
An American who remained at his post while thousands of people depended on the men and women protecting the gates of Kabul.
 
Semper Fidelis, Corporal.
Your watch is over.
Your name carries on.