Cpl. Hunter Lopez dove into a sea of people to save girls fleeing the Taliban

This article is part of a Fox News Digital series examining the consequences of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan one year ago this week.

Cpl. Hunter Lopez saw two girls at the Kabul airport fighting through a sea of people desperate to escape Taliban rule.

"Hunter jumps into the pit," the Marine's mother, Alicia Lopez, told Fox News. "Just thousands of bodies pushing to get past this gate."

"Whose kid would do that?" she asked. "Mine did."

THESE ARE THE US SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED IN THE KABUL AIRPORT ATTACK

Cpl. Hunter Lopez was one of 13 U.S. service members killed in the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport on Aug. 26, 2021. U.S. Marines/Handout via Reuters

Hunter grabbed one girl, brought her to safety, then returned and retrieved the second. The Marine's friend told Alicia he saw Hunter head back toward the wall after that.

"He said that was the last time he saw him," Alicia told Fox News, her voice cracking as she spoke.

Hunter, 22, was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The blast also killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and injured more than 150 others.

Hunter was born into a family with a rich tradition of military and community service a tradition that heavily influenced his upbringing.

"Hunter as a teenager was very mature for his age," his father, Herman Lopez, told Fox News. "He had a plan, and he had a direction of where he wanted to go in ....