Thousands line roads to pay respects to Missouri Marine killed in Kabul suicide bombing

Thousands took part in a procession for a Marine from Missouri who was among 13 service members killed in the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol closed down some interstates Thursday as a Humvee military hearse carried the casket of Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery for a private burial.

Along the 31-mile route, people lined overpasses and roads to pay their final respects to Schmitz. The Wentzville native was 20 when he died last month.

Mark Schmitz told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch previously that his son was among a group of Marines sent back to Afghanistan to assist with evacuation efforts.

The bombing was blamed on Afghanistan’s offshoot of the Islamic State group, a lethal enemy of both the Taliban and the West.

This story was originally published September 17, 2021 at 11:09 AM.