20-year-old Marine Lance Corporal Dylan R. Merola was a beloved son, brother, grandson, great grandson, nephew, a great friend, and a brave soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice at the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the Afghanistan evacuation. Merola was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California. The mission in Kabul was Merola's inaugural overseas tour, upon return from which he had expected to buy his first car and apply to college studying engineering, according to his grandmother. Merola's decision to go into the military was motivated by his two great-grandfathers who were Korean War veterans. Merola was a graduate of Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Lance Corporal Merola was honored at his alma mater's first football game of the season by attendees wearing red, white, and blue.
20-year-old Marine Lance Corporal Dylan R. Merola was a beloved son, brother, grandson, great grandson, nephew, a great friend, and a brave soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice at the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the Afghanistan evacuation. Merola was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California. The mission in Kabul was Merola's inaugural overseas tour, upon return from which he had expected to buy his first car and apply to college studying engineering, according to his grandmother. Merola's decision to go into the military was motivated by his two great-grandfathers who were Korean War veterans. Merola was a graduate of Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Lance Corporal Merola was honored at his alma mater's first football game of the season by attendees wearing red, white, and blue.
