Gee, Nicole Leeann
Female
Verified Sgt. Nicole Leeann Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California, was a U.S. Marine with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. She was killed in a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 26, 2021.
Their Story
Nicole Leeann Gee was a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. A native of Sacramento, California, she was 23 years old when she deployed to Afghanistan in August 2021 as part of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
On August 26, 2021, Gee was among the service members providing security at the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport. The airport was the focal point of a massive non-combatant evacuation operation following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul. At approximately 5:48 p.m. local time, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest in the dense crowd outside the gate. The blast killed 13 U.S. service members, including Gee, and at least 170 Afghan civilians.
The attack occurred during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan that succeeded the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in 2015. The mission's stated objectives were counter-terrorism and training Afghan forces. The evacuation at HKIA, dubbed Operation Allies Refuge, was the final major U.S. military operation of the 20-year war.
Gee's death was widely reported, and her photograph, taken just days before the attack showing her cradling an Afghan infant during the evacuation, circulated in news media and on social media. The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed her identity among the fallen. A memorial service was held at Camp Lejeune.
She was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant. Gee was one of the final U.S. service members killed in the Afghanistan War. Her name is inscribed on memorials, including the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Explore Further
Sgt. Nicole Gee was killed during Operation Freedom's Sentinel (2015?2021). The conflict concluded in August 2021 with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Sanchez, Maria Victoria, Dawson, John Michael, Ruiz, Pablo Allende Iii, Mckenna, Peter Andrew Jr.
