Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola was identified as one of the U.S. service members killed Thursday by a suicide bomb attack outside the Kabul airport.
Merola, 20, was a native of Rancho Cucamonga, California, and a graduate of Los Osos High School. Students of the school honored the fallen Marine officer at Friday night’s football game, according to KABC-TV.
“Was notified last night, that my little brother, Dylan Merola, who was just deployed for over a week, was one of the casualties of the Kabul Airport attack. The news is starting to release his name as the 14th military member to pass away. RIP and say hey to dad & grandma for me,” David Merola wrote in a Friday tweet.
Was notified last night, that my little brother, Dylan Merola, who was just deployed for over a week, was one of the casualties of the Kabul Airport attack. The news is starting to release his name as the 14th military member to pass away. RIP and say hey to dad & grandma for me pic.twitter.com/rR5wS97sWh
— David Merola (@davidmerolajr) August 28, 2021
The mission in Kabul, Afghanistan, was Merola’s inaugural overseas tour, upon return from which he had expected to buy his first car and apply to college, Clarinda Matsuoka, the Marine’s grandmother, told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). (RELATED: ‘He Was So Excited To Be A Dad’: Wyoming Native And Father-To-Be Among Marines Killed In Kabul Attack)
Merola’s decision to go into the military was motivated by his two great-grandfathers who were Korean War veterans, Matsuoka said.
As of Friday, a GoFundMe page set up for donations towards Merola’s funeral was at $24,000, having surpassed its $15,000 goal.