Nicole Gee
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Nicole Gee | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official military portrait of Gee | |
| Birth name | Nicole Leeann Herrera |
| Born | May 1, 1998 Vail, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | August 26, 2021 (aged 23) Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Cause of death | Suicide bombing attack |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Service years | 2017–2021 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Battles / wars | Operation Allies Refuge |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal See full list |
| Spouse | Jarod Gee |
Nicole Leeann Gee (née Herrera; May 1, 1998 – August 26, 2021) was a United States Marine Corps Sergeant who was killed in Afghanistan during Operation Allies Refuge. She was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
According to a U.S. Department of Defense memorial plaque, "Sgt. Gee's actions, in addition to the actions of Sgt. Rosario Pichardo, and that of the other servicewomen working in the screening of female evacuees saved, on estimation, over 124,000 lives in America's largest airlift operation ever."[1][2][3]
Operation Allies Refuge and death
Nicole Leeann Herrera was born on May 1, 1998, in Vail, Colorado.[4] She grew up in Roseville, California.[5] She was a graduate of Oakmont High School with a 4.1 GPA, where she played on the school softball team.[6][7] She met her husband Jarod Gee (a fellow Marine) while in high school, and they were married in a private ceremony in August 2016.[7][8][9]
In 2017, Gee enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. She went through recruit training at Parris Island, Infantry School at Camp Lejeune, Aviation Accession and Primary Military Occupational Specialty School in Pensacola, Florida, and Marine Corps Communications and Electronics School in 29 Palms, California.[8] Gee and her husband Jarod Gee were stationed together at Camp Lejeune.[10] She was assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 24, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, where she provided maintenance and support of ground electronics transmission systems.[1][5]
She deployed with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in February 2021, and was stationed for a period on the USS Iwo Jima.[11][5] During her deployment, Gee's stops included Spain, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait. Nicole was meritoriously promoted to Sergeant while in Kuwait on August 2, 2021.[8][12][13] Gee set weightlifting records at Al-Jaber Air Base, and achieved perfect scores in the Combat Fitness Test.[8] She described herself as a "positive mental health advocate."[14]
.jpg)
Gee deployed to Afghanistan in support of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region as part of Operation Allies Refuge.[15] While there, she served on a Female Engagement Team where she facilitated evacuation support for Afghan women and children at Kabul International Airport.[1][14][16] Six days before her death, Gee posted a photograph of herself holding an Afghan infant on Instagram, with the caption "I love my job."[7][17][18] After her death, the photo went viral.[19][12][20][21]
Her fellow Marines shared that Gee "worked tirelessly, forgoing sleep and rest to help as many Afghan women and children escape as she could."[22] In Tim Kennedy's memoir Scars and Stripes: An Unapologetically American Story of Fighting the Taliban, UFC Warriors, and Myself, he recounted meeting Gee while in Afghanistan, and that she had helped him to search the women who had been rescued before bringing them on the base. Kennedy wrote, "She wasn't going through the motions - she greeted every Afghan with a smile. She loved her job and her service."[23]
On August 26, 2021, Gee was killed in an ISIS-K suicide bombing attack in Kabul along with 12 other service members.[6][7][20][24] The Dignified transfer of Gee's remains back to the United States was attended by President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.[10] Gee is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[6][25]