Everyone has their own idea of a hero. For some, it is someone we know personally and seek to emulate. For others, it is the characters we watch on TV or read about in books.
No matter your definition, the 13 service members who lost their lives in Afghanistan are the embodiment of heroes. 
On Aug. 26, a suicide bomber affiliated with ISIS-K attacked innocent people at Kabul’s airport. The senseless attack killed over 100 people, including 13 American service men and women. The tragedy marked the deadliest day in Afghanistan for the U.S. military since 2011.
These 13 heroes paid the ultimate sacrifice, and our nation is forever indebted to them. Their selflessness and patriotism are what makes our country so great. 
To their family and friends, there are simply not strong enough words to say how sorry I am for your loss. I can only imagine the horrendous feeling one gets when they get the awful knock on the door notifying them of their loved one’s death. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. If we all had just an ounce of their bravery, devotion to serve and love of country, our world would be a better place. 
It is important to not only know the names of these heroes, but their stories. 
Lance Cpl. David Lee Espinoza from Texas was just 20 years old. He joined the Marines after graduating from high school and “embodied the values of America: grit, dedication, service and valor,” according to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar. 
Sgt. Nicole Gee was a 23-year-old Marine from California. One of her last Instagram posts shows her smiling and holding an infant at the Kabul airport, with the simple caption “I love my job.”
Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover was a 31-year-old Utah native who had served in the Marines for 11 years. He was known by loved ones as someone who “lit up a room, was selfless and kind.” Marines who had Hoover as their sergeant had one of the best.
Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss was 23 years old and from Tennessee. Those who knew Knauss described him as having a great sense of humor and loving his country. Even “if he would have known the outcome,” his wife says, “he would have still done it.”
Cpl. Hunter Lopez was a 22-year-old Californian Marine devoted to a life of service. When he returned from deployment, he had intentions of following in his parents’ path and joining law enforcement. Lopez’s father says that his son’s sole purpose for being in Afghanistan was to help the less fortunate.
Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, a 20-year-old California native, intended on studying engineering after his service in the Marines. Randy Shorts, a former teacher, said Merola “would [always] give his best effort and make sure the job was done, and done right.”
Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum was a 20-year-old Marine from Wyoming on his first deployment. He was married and only three weeks away from becoming a father. McCollum’s sister, Cheyenne, said Rylee “was a Marine before he knew he was allowed to be a Marine.”
Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, yet another 20-year-old Marine, hailed from California. Hours before the attack that took his life, Nikoui made videos with Afghan children and sent them to family. 
Cpl. Daegan Page was a 23-year-old Nebraskan who had joined the Marines after graduating high school. Once his service was complete, he had plans to attend trade school. His family says he will be remembered for his “tough outer shell and giant heart.”
Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo was a 25-year-old Marine born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Massachusetts. Capt. Austin Keeley says Pichardo was “proud of her heritage.” and he will “forever be inspired by the work [she] did.”
Cpl. Humberto Sanchez was a 22-year-old from Indiana. A Marine, Sanchez was one of 17 students to join the military from his high school. Sanchez’s former principal, Matt Jones, says Sanchez was “honored to be putting on the Marine uniform and serving his country.”
Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz was a 20-year-old Marine from Missouri who, after tours in Afghanistan and Jordan, was redeployed to Kabul. His father, Mark Schmitz, lauds his son as “a hell of an American. A true hero in every sense of the word.”
Navy Hospitalman Maxton Soviak was 22 years old and from Ohio. He enlisted after graduating high school and attended corpsman school in Texas. In a statement, Soviak’s family remembers him as “a wonderful son who loved his family, his community and was proud to serve in the U.S. Navy.”
Most of these men and women were hardly old enough to remember 9/11 or the start of the war in Afghanistan. 
Toby Keith once sang “when we see Old Glory flying/there’s a lot of men dead/so we can sleep in peace at night when we lay down our head.”
I hope these service members’ sacrifices serve as a reminder to all Americans that freedom certainly is not free. 
Elizabeth Crochet is a 20-year-old political communication junior from New Orleans.