Texan David Lee Espinoza was 3 months old when the events that would lead to his death began. In the wake of 9/11, hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers would be pulled into the war on terror, a war started by a Texan that spanned four presidents, cost trillions of taxpayer dollars, and took countless lives across the globe.
On August 26, 2021, 20-year-old Espinoza became one of the last service members to be killed in Afghanistan. As the country fell to the Taliban and the United States began its withdrawal, desperate Afghans traveled to the Kabul International Airport to escape. A suicide bomber affiliated with ISIS destroyed the gate Espinoza was charged with guarding. He and 12 other service members were killed, while hundreds of Afghans lost their lives, including at least a dozen children.
In Laredo, Espinoza’s hometown, the community mourned his death. Businesses along I-83 put up signs in memoriam, and thousands turned out to watch Espinoza’s coffin be transferred from the airport to the Joe Jackson funeral home. People mourned across the Rio Grande Valley, and in Rio Bravo, where Espinoza was born, makeshift memorials cropped up in front of homes and flags were drawn to half-staff.
