Citizens Raise over $500K for Unborn Baby of Fallen Marine Rylee McCollum

A huge amount of funds were raised for the family of U.S. Marine Rylee McCollum who died in Kabul, Afghanistan, last week.

The 20-year-old was among 13 U.S. servicemembers who died during a terrorist bombing Thursday at the Kabul airport.

When people learned he had been killed and left behind a wife and unborn baby, two fundraisers were set up, the Western Journal reported.

On a GoFundMe page titled Rylee McCollum’s Child Education Fund, the Into the Breach Supply Company who organized it wrote, “This is a fund specifically dedicated to the education and upbringing of Marine Rylee McCollum’s child who is expected for September.”

“His sacrifice at HKIA to protect the lives of those who cannot themselves will not be forgotten,” the page read.

As of Tuesday afternoon, donors gave $504,280.

Meanwhile, Jill Crayton, who is McCollum’s mother-in-law, created a fundraiser titled “Love for Gigi” for his widow and their baby.

“She’s 36 weeks pregnant and she lost her love. I never got to meet him, but I will meet his baby, and I will love and spoil that baby forever. please hold her in your heart and soul because she needs it, this mama knows exactly what that feels like,” she wrote.

The page has so far raised $208,116.

The young man’s sister, Roice McCollum, said her brother had always wanted to become a Marine.

“He wanted to be a Marine his whole life and carried around his rifle in his diapers and cowboy boots,” she explained. “He was determined to be in infantry… Rylee wanted to be a history teacher and a wrestling coach when he finished serving his country.”