COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Navy Hospital Corpsman from northern Ohio was among the 13 U.S. service members killed Thursday in Kabul in a bombing attack.
Max Soviak, a 2017 graduate of Edison High School in Milan, was killed in the attack at the airport, a family member confirmed to WTOL.
Prior to joining the Navy, Max attended EHOVE Career Center for his junior and senior years, according to a spokesperson.
He was enrolled in the Electrical Tech program which teaches students how to work with residential and industrial wiring systems.
"Anytime we lose a student, we lose a part of our school family and the loss is deeply felt. Our thoughts are with Max’s family and friends at this time. Along with all federal buildings, we will be flying our flag at half-staff to honor Max and the other victims," the spokesperson said.
The Navy released a statement Saturday confirming his death during the attack at Abbey Gate in Kabul.
He enlisted in Sept. 2017 and graduated from Recruit Training Command in Illinois in November that same year.
“We mourn the loss of this Sailor and we offer our deepest condolences to the loved ones of our fallen shipmate,” according to the Navy’s statement on Friday.
The U.S. said Thursday was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011.
In addition to 13 service members, at least 95 Afghans were killed in the attack where two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds flocking to the airport attempting to flee the country.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killings on its Amaq news channel.
The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, who recently took control of the country in a lightning blitz. The Taliban were not believed to have been involved in the attacks and condemned the blasts.
The blasts came hours after Western officials warned of a major attack, urging people to leave the airport. But that advice went largely unheeded by Afghans desperate to escape the country in the last few days of an American-led evacuation before the U.S. officially ends its 20-year presence on Aug. 31.
The U.S. general overseeing the evacuation said the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and flights out were continuing.
In an emotional speech from the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden said the latest bloodshed would not drive the U.S. out of Afghanistan earlier than scheduled, and that he had instructed the U.S. military to develop plans to strike IS.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has ordered all American flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the lives lost in the Kabul attack. The order, which also includes Ohio flags, must be flown at half-staff at all public buildings and grounds until sunset on Monday, Aug. 30.