HEROES OF KABUL: Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover handed out ammo to his men despite facing mortal injuries

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This article is part of a Fox News Digital series examining the consequences of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan one year ago this week.

Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover was dying from his injuries. He still managed to reach in his vest and hand out ammo to his fellow Marines.

The staff sergeant, who went by his middle name, was determined for them to stay in the fight. The act exemplified who Taylor was, both as a person and as a Marine, his parents said.

“He cared about his men more than he did himself,” Taylor’s father, Darin Hoover, told Fox News. “If that isn’t the definition of a true warrior, I don’t know what is.” 

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“Everything was about his men,” Darin said.

Taylor, 31, ultimately succumbed to his injuries. He was the oldest of the 13 U.S. service members killed by a suicide bomber at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021, during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The blast also killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and injured more than 150 others. 

Taylor, who served for 11 years, would have made the same sacrifice again if it meant saving his men, Darin told Fox News.

“He’s got the heart of a lion, and he really is fiercely protective,” Darin said.

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‘Live for me, not without me’

Taylor was about 6 years old when he started playing with toy military figurines—always Marines, his mother, Kelly Barnett, emphasized.

“He was drawn to the Marines because it was a brotherhood,” she told Fox News.

Taylor, who grew up in Utah, was only 11 when terrorists attacked the country on Sept. 11, 2001. But it made a made a significant impact on his life path, his parents said.

“I think in his mind it solidified what he was gonna do,” Darin told Fox News.

Taylor sported a bracelet in memorial of 9/11 throughout his career. Barnett has since inherited that item, which the Marine was wearing when he was killed.

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As a staff sergeant, Taylor strove to help his men to improve and found victory in their achievements.

“He wanted them to be even better than him,” Barnett said. “That’s a true leader. That’s my son.” 

“He didn’t want to be in the spotlight ever,” she added. “He celebrated in others’ success.”

Still, Taylor would use his weekend passes to spend time with his family.

His fellow Marines “would make fun of him because he was cool about hanging out with his mom and his sisters,” Barnett said. “He didn’t want to go out drinking and be with the boys.” 

“His number one thing was family,” she continued.

Taylor was on his third tour in Afghanistan when he was killed. He drafted a letter to his mother before leaving in case he died while on deployment.

“‘I want you to live for me, not without me,'” Barnett said Taylor wrote.

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“That’s what I plan on doing,” she said. “I’m going to keep moving, and I’m going to keep his name out there, keep screaming it. That’s my mission.” 

Barnett told Fox News that if her son were alive, she “would run up to him and kiss him all over his face.”

Darin said he would tell Taylor “I loved him and how proud I was of him. He built the legacy that he is.”

During the Afghanistan evacuation, Taylor imagined seeing his family in the sea of Afghans desperate to escape the Taliban.

“He saw his sisters and his mom in the crowd, and he couldn’t stand it,” Barnett said. 

Taylor, unknowingly carrying out his final mission, was determined to save as many lives as possible. Shortly before the ISIS-K terrorist’s bomb detonated, the staff sergeant helped lead a group to safety.

That family, the Kakaies, successfully escaped the grip of Taliban rule as a result. Taylor’s photo hangs on their wall in honor of his sacrifice, the fallen Marine’s parents told Fox News.

“He wanted them to have a chance at a better life,” Barnett said.