Thousands line streets across US to honour fallen Marines as remains return to home states

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The remains of three Marines who were among the 13 US service members killed in the Kabul Airport attack by Isis-K last month have been returned to their home states of Texas, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

At least 169 Afghans also died in the attack on 26 August.

Thousands lined the streets of Omaha, Nebraska to pay their respects as the hearse carrying the remains of 23-year-old Corporal Daegan Page rolled through the city, The Omaha World-Herald reported.

Omaha residents honoured the Marine as the vehicle travelled from Epply Airfield to Braman mortuary after arriving from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware where President Joe Biden attended the dignified transfer of the remains of the 13 service members.

Cpl Page’s remains landed at Epply Airfield at around 1.20pm on Friday, the paper reported.

“Omaha, you never looked better,” the family said in a statement. “It was an amazing honour to bring Daegan home to the open arms of his hometown today.”

“We wish we could have stopped and thanked every person who took time out of their day to pay their respects,” they added. “We saw you all.”

The plane carrying the remains of Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza, 20, landed in Laredo, Texas at 2.32pm on Friday, The Laredo Morning Times reported.

He was greeted by his family along with Bishop James Tomayo of the Roman Catholic Diocese, who marked the solemn moment with a prayer.

Constantina Cantu watched the motorcade go past.

“Just like the mother of this young man, I am a mother as well, and this is very sad to see,” she told the paper. “We see that these young people go leave their homes because they want to serve, and unfortunately some lose their lives during these deployments.”

“I also brought my child to look and see how a true hero — because he truly was a hero — is returned back home,” she added.

“This afternoon is one to remember,” Laredo resident Priscilla Pantoja told the paper. “Men and women, boys and girls of all ages flooded the sidewalks in a sea of American flags. You could feel the outpouring of love from the entire community as we anxiously awaited the arrival of our local American hero. It was quite an emotional moment to see the procession go by. Our hearts are only full of pride and gratitude toward this young man.”

“The feeling was so surreal, but the feelings of everyone around you could be felt so strongly,” Scott Roberts, a father of a former Marine, added. “I had some time to reflect on what the mother must be feeling at this moment, and it reminded me of how my wife and I felt during every deployment our son had during his time with the US Marine Corps.”

Thousands also lined the streets of Jackson, Wyoming to honour Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum, 20, according to WyoFile. Police estimated that between 7,000 and 10,000 people came out.

Lance Cpl McCollum was from Bondurant in western Wyoming. He was met at the Jackson Hole airport by his family and elected officeholders, Jackson Hole News and Guide reported.

The plane carrying the Lance Corporal landed at 4.07pm on Friday.

Graduating High School in 2019, he was about to become a father and had recently been married when he was killed in Afghanistan.