A GoFundMe campaign for the family of Major Brent R. Taylor—the mayor of North Ogden, Utah, father of seven and member of the Army National Guard killed in action in Kabul, Afghanistan, has raised more than $415,000 of a $500,000 goal.
Tributes poured in for the 39-year-old hero after news of his death was revealed, including from Mitt Romney — with many sharing a Facebook post Taylor wrote days before his death urging Americans to vote on Tuesday.
Reflecting on what it was like to witness millions of Afghan men and women "brave threats and deadly attacks to vote in Afghanistan's first parliamentary elections in eight years," Taylor wrote in a Facebook post Oct. 28 that "many American NATO allies and Afghan troops have died to make moments like this possible.”
In less than a day, the crowdfunding site had collected $135,000 of an initial $400,000 goal. After two days, more than 5,500 people had kicked in $414,167.
“Please help us reach our goal, it is a lofty goal, but that is how our Mayor lived his life...setting lofty goals,” the fundraisers wrote of their campaign.
The motive for Saturday’s shooting — the second insider attack at a base against foreign troops in less than two weeks — was not immediately clear, The Washington Post reported. The Taliban praised Saturday’s attack, saying it was conducted by a “sensible” Afghan, the news outlet reported.