This is the fifth installment of Fox News Digital's “Freedom Isn't Free” series honoring America's fallen heroes.
Darrin Hoover, a Gold Star father, said the phrase “freedom isn't free” means “responsibility” to him.
“Again, when we look back at the history of our country, we are thankful that over the last 248 years, and even before we were a nation, there have been men and women who fought for freedom. There were people who answered the call,” Hoover said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
Darin and his wife Kelly's son, United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Taylor Huber, was killed in action during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 26, 2021. He had turned 31 less than a month before his death.
Gold Star parents urge Americans to recognize those who 'risked their lives and wrote checks' in the military
“I couldn't be more proud of any of them, just as I couldn't be more proud of anyone who has sacrificed everything up until now in the history of this country, because without them we certainly wouldn't be free. If given another chance and our kids came back and asked the same question, would they enlist again and come back? I know every one of them would absolutely say yes.”
“If given another opportunity and the kids came back to us and asked the same question, would they participate and come back again? I think they would all say absolutely yes.”
Taylor, a Utah native, had wanted to join the Marines since he was 11, after watching the second plane hit the Twin Towers on 9/11 and his parents kept him from school that day.
“He told us right then and there that he was going to join the military, specifically the Marines. As Kelly had told me many times, those little plastic Army figures that all the kids had — they weren't Army, they were Marines,” Huber recalled.
Staff Sergeant Huber was 31 when he was killed during combat at Kabul airport in Afghanistan. (Darrin Hoover)
Taylor never wavered from his dream of joining the Marines, enlisting on Sept. 13, 2010. He completed training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Dec. 10, 2010. He then served with 3-7, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, and deployed to Afghanistan twice.
“He was under the supervision of several sergeants, and they kept him on the front lines with the minesweepers and did all the little tasks that they needed him to do. Taylor was either already working, or he knew exactly what to do and he just took over and did it,” his proud father Darin said.
Gold Star father recalls knock on door 'changed everything'
Taylor's hard work and dedication to the mission paid off, and he was later assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, where he was eventually promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant, or E-6 in the Marine Corps ranks.
While Taylor's unit was stationed on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz in 2021, he and many other Marines received a call to deploy to Afghanistan to support the withdrawal of U.S. troops under President Biden.
Huber recalled his son's first deployment to Kabul: “Taylor sent me a cryptic message: 'Dad, I can't tell you, but I know where I'm going. You'll find out by watching the news. Just know that I'm with great guys and I'll be OK.' And I said, 'OK, I'll get you guys home, I'll go home and do what I need to do.' And he said, 'Don't worry, Dad.'”
Staff Sergeant Darin “Taylor” Hoover was, according to his father, Darin Hoover, “a man's man.” (Darrin Hoover)
Taylor's mother, Kelly, first noticed something was wrong on August 26th.
“Kelly and I were on the phone. She had a mother's intuition. She called me for the first time, crying, and said, 'Please tell me it's not Taylor. Please tell me it's not Taylor.' I tried to convince her. No, no. It can't be. You know, he's been a strong leader. He's been president for 11 years, he knows his credentials. It can't be Taylor.”
“Kelly and I were on the phone. She had a maternal instinct. And she called me for the first time, crying, and said, 'Please tell me it's not Taylor. Please tell me it's not Taylor.'”
“We prayed a few times and then I was on my way to work and she called me a bunch of times. She was obviously crying and she wasn't happy about it. I tried my best to reassure her but from the way she was acting I got the feeling it might be real. The next day I stopped off at a friend's house on my way to work and my dad called me.”
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Taylor Huber was one of 13 American heroes killed in combat on August 26, 2021. (Darrin Hoover)
“My dad never cried. I think that was the only time I'd ever seen him cry, maybe once or twice in my life. He was crying. He said, 'Hey, there are two Marines standing outside your door,' and I lost my mind, just like any family that has had a loved one killed. And then I had to drive two and a half hours back to the house and meet with the two Marines who confirmed that Taylor had been killed,” Darin Huber recalled.
Nearly three years after 13 brave men and women were killed at Abbey Gate at then-Hamid Karzai International Airport, Gold Star parents Darin and Kelly have established a foundation in their son Taylor's name.
The Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover Memorial awards scholarships to students who demonstrate “honor, courage and dedication” in any endeavor, and also donates service dogs to veterans in need.
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The 3rd Annual Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover Memorial 5K Race will be held on August 31, 2024 in Marion, Arkansas.
