Gold Star fathers honor sons killed in Kabul attack

>> AUGUST 26TH, 2021 PRESIDENT. TRUMP CALLS IT ONE OF THE. DARKEST DAYS IN OUR NATION'S. HISTORY. FIVE YEARS AGO ISIS K DEAD. NATED A BOMB AT A CROWDED GATE. KNOWN AS ABBEY GATE IN KABUL. 13 SERVICE MEMBERS WERE KILLED. AND 45 MORE WOUNDED AND MORE. THAN 100 CIVILIANS WERE.

INJURED. AS AMERICA REMEMBERS THE FALLEN. THIS WEEK IT'S IMPORTANT TO. REMEMBER HOW WE GOT HERE. ON JULY 2ND, 02021, PRESIDENT. JOE BIDEN BEGAN A DISASTEROUS. WITHDRAWAL FROM U.S. FORCE FROM. BAGRAM AIRFIELD IN THE MIDDLE. OF THE NIGHT AND PRESIDENT. TRUMP SAYS IT LEFT OUR MEN AND. WOMEN WITHOUT A DEFENSIBLE BASE. AND ALLOWED THE TALIBAN TO. RELEASE THOSE CAPTIVES AT. PRISONS.

AND QUICKLY SPREAD AROUND THE. COUNTRY LIKE THE ENDURING. SYMBOLS OF THE WITHDRAWAL. AND DESPERATE CITIZENS CLUNG TO. THE PLANE DURING TAKEOFF AND. PARENTS PUTTING THEIR BABIES. INTO THE ARMS OF U.S. SOLDIERS. HOPING THEY WOULD GET ON BOARD. IT WAS GUT WRENCHING TO WATCH. AND THEN JUST DAYS LATER ISIS-K. CARRIED OUT THE ATTACK AT THE. ABBEY GATE.

RYLEE MCCOLLUM, AND TAYLOR. HOOVER. AND JOINING US THE FATHER OF. TAYLOR HOOVER AND RYLEE. MCCOLLUM. JIM, START WITH YOU, AFTER. RYLEE WAS KILLED HIS DAUGHTER. WAS BORN. AND NAVAL HOSPITAL CAMP. PENDLETON, HER NAME LEVI RYLEE.

ROSE AND NEXT TO HER WAS A. PICTURE OF HIM. AND HOW IS YOUR SWEET. GRANDDAUGHTER DOING? >> SHE'S ADORABLE. JUST STARTED KINDERGARTEN, CAN'T BELIEVE TIME HAS GONE. THAT QUICKLY. INDEPENDENT, FEISTY, SHE'S GOT. LITTLE PIECES OF RYLEE IN HER, AND A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL. KAYLEIGH: ABSOLUTELY. YOUR SON DARIN TAYLOR HOOVER, 9/11 HAPPENED AND THEN HE. DECIDED TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY.

TELL ME ABOUT HIM. >> OH, GOSH. A BIG OLD TEDDY BEAR. YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE HE WENT, HE'D LIGHT UP A ROOM AND IT. DIDN'T MATTER WHERE WE WERE, WHO WE WERE WITH, HE'D COME IN. AND START CONVERSATIONS WITH. ANYBODY, FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE. YOU KNOW, AND UP THROUGH THE. END OF HIS LIFE. YOU KNOW, HE WAS THE. ANTI-BULLY. IF HE SAW ANYBODY THAT WAS.

SMALLER, YOUNGER, WHAT HAVE. YOU,ED' STOP IN AND STOP THE. BULLYING IN ITS TRACKS. HE WAS A BIG KID SO ANYTIME. TAYLOR STEPPED IN, THEY THOUGHT. TWICE ABOUT DOING THAT AND BLED. OVER TO HIS SISTERS AND MOM, AND FIERCE PROTECTORS OF HIM AS. WELL AND JUST, JUST AN AWESOME. KID. JUST THE SALT OF THE EARTH WITH. HIM. KAYLEIGH: YOU KNOW, JIM, YOUR.

SON RYLEE WAS 20 YEARS OLD FROM. WYOMING AND I WAS READING WHEN. WE WERE LEARNING THE NAMES OF. THOSE WHO PERISHED AT THE ABBY. GATES, YOU SAID WHAT ARE THE. ODDS, A KID FROM WYOMING, IMPOSSIBLE AND THEN WE LEARNED. ABOUT THE ROSS OF RYLEE. MCCOLLUM, YOUR SON. WHAT IS HIS LEGACY AND WHAT DO. YOU WANT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER. ABOUT HIM? >> THE KID HAD A HEART OF GOLD. A LOT LIKE TAYLOR.

HE WAS ALWAYS SEEKING JUSTICE, HATED TO SEE INJUSTICE AND FOR. THOSE WHO COULDN'T STAND UP FOR. THEMSELVES AND STARTED AT AN. EARLY AGE AND JUST CONTINUED. I MEAN, IT'S ALMOST LIKE HE WAS. ON A DESTINATION, A DESTINED. PATH ALL OF THESE KIDS WERE. SO, YEAH, JUST HIS HEART OF. GOLD. LOVE THE KID. STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S REAL. I WAKE UP SOMETIMES AND YOU. FEEL LIKE YOU'RE LIVING A.

NIGHTMARE AND KEEP EXPECTING. HIM TO CALL OR COME THROUGH THE. DOOR FIVE YEARS LATER, IT STILL. HURTS. KAYLEIGH: I BET. AND LEVI KNOWS THAT HER FATHER. IS A HERO. AND DARIN, HE TEXTED YOU AND I. CAN'T TELL YOU WHERE YOU'RE. GOING AND JUST WATCH THE NEWS. AND THEN YOU HAD THE TWO. MARINES AT YOUR DOOR. AND I KNOW THAT THE FOUNDATION.

IS A GROUP THAT HELPED YOU. CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE. GROUP, DARIN? >> EXCUSE ME, HAVING HIM OVER. THERE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS HIS. THIRD TIME OVER ON AFGHAN SOIL. AND YOU KNOW, JUST TO--. I JUST, I FELT IT. HE WOULD BE FINE. HE'D BEEN HERE BEFORE AND HE. KNEW WHAT IT WAS ABOUT AND, YOU. KNOW, LEADING THE PACK OUT. THERE AT THE GATE. HE WAS ONE OF THE, OBVIOUSLY, ONE OF THE OLDER ONES AND HE.

SAW THE TOWERS FALL AT AGE 11. SO HE WAS ONE OF THE OLDER ONES. AND KNEW THE NAME OF THE GAME. AND HIS LEGACY THAT WILL BE. LEFT BEHIND, HE'S GOT SOME --. HE LEFT SOME REALLLLY BIG SHOES. TO FILL. SOME THAT I'M NEVER GOING TO BE. ABLE TO FILL UP NO MATTER WHAT. I DO. KAYLEIGH: YEAH. >> HE IS -- HE IS MY HERO. KAYLEIGH: ABSOLUTELY JUST LIKE.

RYLEE IS AND THE REST OF OUR 12. AND THOSE 45 THAT WERE INJUR.