OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
Rylee McCollum was just 20 years old.
He joined the Marine Corps from his home in Bondurant, Wyoming.
McCollum’s sister Roice McCollum said, “He wanted to be a Marine his whole life and carried around his rifle in his diapers and cowboy boots.”
“He was determined to be in the infantry,” his sister said.
McCollum was on his first deployment when he died among the 13 U.S. troops in Afghanistan at the Kabul airport.
McCollum had just gotten married and was three weeks away from being a dad when he was killed.
When he finished serving his country, Rylee wanted to be a history teacher and a wrestling coach.
“He’s a tough, kind, loving kid who made an impact on everyone he met,” his sister said. “His joke and wit brought so much joy.”
Here’s a picture of Rylee and his wife:
Rylee and his wife had not even been married one year.
The young wife and mother-to-be gave birth to their child in the naval hospital at Camp Pendleton.
McCollum’s daughter was born. She was named Levi Rylee Rose McCollum. She weighed 8 pounds and 10 ounces.
Here’s a picture of the baby posted to Facebook:
Rylee’s mother, Kathy McCollum, has spoken out against Joe Biden and the disastrous decisions that led to her son’s death in Afghanistan.
The attack killed one Navy corpsman, ten Marines, and two Army soldiers. Most of them were either 20 years old or in their early twenties. One of them was female.
Active duty and retired naval intelligence members were told they cannot “disrespect” Biden over the disaster in Afghanistan.
However, this certainly doesn’t apply to grief-stricken Gold Star mothers.
“My son was one of the Marines that died yesterday,” Kathy McCollum said. “I had to listen to that [expletive]… sorry, I’m on the radio.”
“My son was one of the Marines that died yesterday,” she said, restarting her comments. “Twenty years and six months old. Getting ready to come home from freaking Jordan to be with his wife. To watch the birth of his son.”
“And that feckless, dementia-ridden piece of crap just sent my son to die,” she said.
“I woke up at 4 o’clock this morning to Marines at my door telling me my son was dead,” she continued.
“So, my son is gone,” she continued. “And I just want all you Democrats who cheated in the election or who voted for him legitimately: You just killed my son.”
McCollum criticized Biden’s “diplomatic crap” with “Taliban terrorists” who “just blew up my son.”
She said the Biden administration has not said told her that they are sorry for failing.
