California Marine killed in Kabul blast left record of her final mission: ‘I love my job’
A Marine sergeant from Roseville was among the 13 U.S. military service members and dozens of Afghans killed on Thursday in a suicide bombing in Kabul during an evacuation operation, the Defense Department Department announced.
Four of the troops who lost their lives hail from California.
Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Roseville was killed after a suicide bomber detonated explosives outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. The Associated Press reported that a lone suicide bomber was carrying about 25 pounds of explosives at the airport’s gate.
Gee had been documenting her time in Afghanistan on her personal Instagram page. Her latest photo post was taken at the Kabul airport amid U.S.-led evacuation efforts and published on Aug. 22, just four days before she was killed in the explosion.
“Escorting evacuees onto the bird,” Gee wrote in the caption to her photo, which depicted her standing next to a long line of Afghan evacuees heading into a U.S. military aircraft.
The evacuation efforts, which are ongoing but nearing completion, were part of the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years in the country.
On Aug. 20, Gee posted another photo of herself in Kabul, holding an Afghan child in her arms.
“I love my job,” she captioned the photo.
In early August, she posted news from Kuwait of her promotion to sergeant.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by Misty Fuoco, Gee’s sister, raised more than $25,000 within three hours in order to help family members gather in her memory.
“We will forever be changed and forever hurt with her absences but I know she wouldn’t have had it any other way, she absolutely loved the work she was doing in Afghanistan and was excited to tell me more about it once she was back home,” Fuoco wrote on the GoFundMe page. Gee is survived by her husband, Jarod Gee, who is also a Marine, according to Fuoco.
Marine Corps officials said in a news release that Gee enlisted in 2017 and was assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 24, providing ground electronics transmission systems maintenance.
“Our unit mourns the immense loss of Sgt. Gee, our fallen service members, and the Afghan people who lost their lives in this attack,” Brig. Gen. Forrest C. Poole III, commanding general of 2nd Marine Logistics Group, said in a prepared statement. “I express my deepest heartfelt condolences to Sgt. Gee’s family, friends, and loved ones. We will continue to provide support to all those affected by this incident.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed the attack on Saturday, mourning the deaths of the four Californians and the many other victims.
“California joins the nation in mourning the tragic loss of 13 U.S. service members, including those from California, and many other innocent victims in this heinous attack. Our heroic troops gave their lives to protect others amid harrowing and dangerous conditions, and we will never forget their bravery and selfless sacrifice in service to our nation,” Newsom said in a prepared statement. “Jennifer (Siebel Newsom) and I send our deepest condolences to all the families grieving the loss of loved ones and offer our best wishes for the recovery of the service members who were injured. We stand with the Afghan American community during this difficult time.”
Newsom’s office lowered the flags at the Capitol in Sacramento to half-staff in honor of the bombing victims.
U.S. Congresswoman Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, joined Newsom in honoring the victims of the Kabul bombing and described Gee as “a brave member of our region’s community.”
“Sgt. Nicole Gee lost her life while proudly serving our nation, ensuring the evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies from harm’s way. Just days before the senseless attack that claimed her life, she was photographed holding an Afghan baby, an image of compassion and selflessness during a time of immense pain,” Matsui said in a prepared statement. “Sgt. Gee chose a path of valor and service to others – making the ultimate sacrifice. As a nation, we owe her and her family a debt of gratitude. ... We must not forget Sgt. Gee and continue to honor her legacy and the legacy of all of our fallen heroes. I pray for her loved ones in this incredibly difficult time.”
The city of Roseville called Gee “our hometown hero” and said that the fallen Marine graduated from Oakmont High School in 2016.
“Nicole’s family have our unwavering support,” city officials wrote on Twitter.
Gee was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense and Global War on Terrorism Service Medals. She was previously assigned to recruitment training at Parris Island in South Carolina, the School of Infantry-East at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, the Aviation Accession and Primary Military Occupational Specialty School in Pensacola, Florida, and the Marine Corps Communications-Electronics School in Twentynine Palms, California, according to Marine Corps officials.
The other Californians killed in the attack were Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga; and Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco.
The Islamic State Khorasan, a terrorist group associated with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria — also known as ISIS — took credit for the attack. In retaliation, President Joe Biden’s administration ordered a drone strike in Afghanistan early Saturday morning, which killed two “high profile” Islamic State militants, according to the Washington Post.
This story was originally published August 28, 2021 at 2:26 PM with the headline "California Marine killed in Kabul blast left record of her final mission: ‘I love my job’."
