NFM TV, a four-time Telly-award-winning media division of NFM Lending, announced today that it secured an exclusive interview with the mother and stepfather of fallen U.S. Marine David Lee Espinoza. The interview was part of the company's NFM Salute initiative. Each month one military member or Veteran is chosen to be honored as the "Salute of the Month." The "Salute of the Month" is featured on nfmsalute.com with a video biography about their service. In conjunction, NFM Lending donates to a military or Veteran non-profit in the Salute's name; NFM Lending is proud to present $2,500 to Gary Sinise Foundation on behalf of Espinoza.
Lance Corporal Espinoza was one of 13 U.S. servicemen and women killed on August 26, 2021, when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at Kabul International Airport.
The interview with Espinoza's mother, Elizabeth Holguin, and his stepfather, Victor Dominguez, took place from their home in Laredo, TX, on September 24, 2021, less than one month after Espinoza and other military service members were lost.
Espinoza had been moved from Jordan to Afghanistan to protect the Kabul airport and refugees just one week before the attack. Holguin expressed that her level of anxiety was elevated leading up to the day of the bombings. "When he was in Jordan, of course, I was worried. Like any deployment, as a mother, you worry. But he would FaceTime over there and he would say it was very calm. So I learned how to live with it. But once he moved to Afghanistan for that week, we were just counting the days for August 31 when they were all coming back."
In the interview, Dominguez described the day he found out that his stepson was among those killed. "I was here home and I turned on the TV and they mentioned what had happened. I remember [a U.S. General] saying that by midnight of that day, all the parents or husbands or wives related to the people would by then know who the victims were. I remember I stayed up till midnight and I remember walking from the sofa going to my bed and going, 'We made it.' And then we get the phone call."
Despite it all, Holguin is staying strong for her other children and finds comfort that her son and the other 13 fallen heroes were returned home. "He made me so proud, always did. He's my American hero. He was doing what he loved so I can't be prouder than that."
To watch the interview in its entirety, visit vimeo.com/nfminc/despinoza. To see past Salutes and to nominate someone visit nfmsalute.com.
About NFM Lending
NFM Lending is a mortgage lending company currently licensed in 42 states in the U.S. The company was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1998. NFM Lending and its family of companies includes Main Street Home Loans, BluPrint Home Loans, and Freedmont Mortgage Group. They attribute their success in the mortgage industry to their steadfast commitment to customers and the community. For more information about NFM Lending, visit www.nfmlending.com, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Instagram.
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