My heart is heavy today—a weight I never imagined carrying. Early this morning, the world stopped when my beautiful daughter, Chloe, received the knock on her door that no military spouse ever wants to hear. The knock that forever and irrevocably changes your life.

Her husband, Sergeant Daniel Hayes—strong, handsome, and incredibly brave—was one of the thirteen Marines who tragically lost their lives yesterday in the final devastating events in Kabul. They had been married for less than a year, a time of swift, profound joy built on the promise of a lifetime.

A Love Cut Short

Chloe is only 36 weeks pregnant. She is now facing the unimaginable: the loss of the love of her life, her husband, her best friend, before she even had the chance to fully start the family they planned and prayed for. The nursery is painted, the tiny clothes are folded, and now the man who was meant to teach that child how to throw a ball or read a bedtime story will never walk through the door. The magnitude of her pain—grief compounded by the physical and emotional vulnerability of late pregnancy—is something I can barely fathom as her mother.

As a mama myself, seeing her pain is seeing my own heart break in a million pieces. This is a moment no parent should ever have to witness their child endure.

The Legacy of a Hero

Though Daniel was often deployed and I never had the privilege of meeting him in person, his presence was already immense in our family. We saw the depth of his character and the fierce, protective love he held for Chloe in every video call and every hurried message.

I may never have met him, but I will meet his baby. And I will pour every ounce of my being into spoiling and loving that little one—Baby Hayes, due in just a few weeks—just as Daniel would have. That child will be the living, breathing legacy of a hero who gave everything for his country and his comrades.

We will get through this, not by forgetting, but by carrying his love forward. Chloe is strong; she has the fierce, protective love of our entire family, her friends, and an immense community now standing behind her. We will hold her up as she navigates this crushing grief while preparing for the miracle of birth.

We will forever honor the memory of Daniel, a hero whose sacrifice is etched into the very fabric of our family history. His love will be the invisible, unshakable foundation upon which his child builds their life.

Please, I ask you, keep my daughter and Baby Hayes in your heart and in your prayers as she faces this unimaginable loss. She truly needs our collective strength right now.

Sergeant Daniel Hayes: Beloved Husband, Hero, and Father-to-be. Never Forgotten.