Female Marines: Afghanistan's Unseen Casualties

Since the attack on America on September 11, 2001, a total of 153 women deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Syria lost their lives in service to America. Of these, two female Marines, Sgt. Nicole Gee and Sgt. Johanny Rosario, were killed in Afghanistan in 2021. They were among the 13 U.S. service members killed in a terrorist attack in Kabul when a suicide bomber detonated explosives outside Abbey Gate, where U.S. troops were focusing their efforts.

Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee was one of two female Marines killed in Afghanistan

Gee, 23, was from Sacramento, California. She was a maintenance technician with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and had been documenting her time in Afghanistan on her Instagram page. She was killed by a suicide bomber who detonated explosives outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. Gee was a ground electronics transmission systems maintainer and had joined the Marine Corps in 2017. She was posthumously awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense and Global War on Terrorism Service Medals.

Gee was described by her sister, Misty Fuoco, as having been "incredibly passionate and motivated". She was married to Jarod Gee, another Marine. "They had a bond like nothing I've ever seen," said Fuoco. "She absolutely loved the work she was doing in Afghanistan and was excited to tell me more about it once she was back home". Gee's brother-in-law, Gabriel Fuoco, said: "She believed in what she was doing, she loved being a Marine. She wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else."

Gee was remembered at a memorial service as a "Marine's Marine" who loved her job. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Roseville, said of Gee: "American history [is] punctuated with moments of individual heroism and virtue and sacrifice so profound and moving that they live forever in the hearts of our countrymen and in the story of our country. The image of Sgt. Gee cradling an infant in her arms and declaring, 'I love my job' was one such moment."

Sgt. Gee was 23 years old and from California

Sgt. Gee was described as a "model Marine" who loved her job. She was also described as a trailblazer for women serving in combat roles and those aspiring to be like her. Sgt. Gee was one of two women killed in the attack, the other being Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts. Sgt. Gee was posthumously awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense and Global War on Terrorism Service Medals.

Sgt. Gee was killed by a suicide bomber outside Kabul's airport

Sgt. Nicole Gee was a 23-year-old Marine Sergeant from Sacramento, California. She was one of 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing attack outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 26, 2021.

Gee was a maintenance technician with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. She was assigned to assist women and girls at the airport as they fled Taliban repression. Gee was also involved in searching women and children for explosives, putting her at the epicentre of risk exposure that the suicide bomber exploited.

Gee was sworn into the Marines less than a year before her death and was promoted to sergeant three weeks prior. She was married to fellow Marine Jarod Gee, and was remembered by her sister, Misty Fuoco, as having a bond with him that was "like nothing I've ever seen".

Gee was described by Capt. Karen Holliday as a "model Marine" who was "doing God's work". She was also remembered as a "Marine's Marine" who "cared about people" and "loved fiercely".

In the days before her death, Gee posted photos on Instagram of herself in Kabul, including one of her holding a baby with the caption, "I love my job".

Sgt. Gee was one of two female Marines killed in the attack. The other was Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Sgt. Gee was a maintenance technician and was searching women and children at the time of her death

Sgt. Nicole Gee was a maintenance technician with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. She was one of 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 26, 2021. Sgt. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California, was searching women and children at the time of her death.

Sgt. Gee was a Marine Corps Sergeant who had joined active duty in 2017. She was a ground electronics transmission systems maintainer assigned to the Combat Logistics Battalion 24, a subordinate unit of the Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force. Her previous assignments included recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina, and the School of Infantry-East in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Sgt. Gee had also received several awards during her service, including the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense and Global War on Terrorism Service Medals.

In the days leading up to the attack, Sgt. Gee was photographed cradling a baby at the Kabul airport. She posted the photo on Instagram with the caption, "I love my job." In another photo, she was seen escorting evacuees onto a plane. Sgt. Gee's Instagram page also featured pictures of her in various locations, including Saudi Arabia, Greece, Spain, and Kuwait.

Sgt. Gee's death had a profound impact on those who knew her. Mallory Harrison, Sgt. Gee's friend and roommate for over three years, expressed her grief on Facebook, reflecting on the mundane yet poignant detail of Sgt. Gee's car still being parked at Camp Lejeune. Sgt. Gee's sister, Misty Fuoco, also shared her sorrow, describing the bond between Sgt. Gee and her husband, Jarod Gee, as "a bond like nothing I've ever seen."

Sgt. Gee's father, Richard Herrera, recalled his surprise at his daughter's deployment to Afghanistan, given her training in overseeing equipment. However, he remembered her enthusiasm for her work, telling him, "she was having the experience of her life." Sgt. Gee embodied the evolving roles of women in the military, as they took on dangerous front-line responsibilities and worked alongside male troops in gathering intelligence and searching evacuees.

Sgt. Gee's tragic death, along with that of Sgt. Johanny Rosario, highlighted the unique mission of women in the military during two decades of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their deaths served as a reminder of the risks faced by female service members, who were often assigned duties that put them in harm's way, such as searching incoming women and children at the airport gates.

Sgt. Gee was posthumously awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal

Sgt. Nicole Gee was one of 13 U.S. service members killed in a terrorist attack in Kabul on August 26, 2021. Gee was a 23-year-old Marine Sergeant from Roseville, California, who was trained in overseeing equipment. She was assigned to search incoming Afghan women and children at Abbey Gate, where the attack took place. Gee was on active duty in the Marine Corps since 2017 and had previously been stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, among other places.

Gee was posthumously awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, which is one of the oldest military awards of the United States Armed Forces. The medal is awarded to any active-duty enlisted member of the U.S. military who completes three consecutive years of "honorable and faithful service." The criteria for the award include having no non-judicial punishment, disciplinary infractions, or court-martial offenses during the three-year period. The Good Conduct Medal may also be awarded posthumously to any enlisted service member who dies in the line of duty.

Sgt. Gee's father, Richard Herrera, said that he never expected his daughter to be on the front lines in Afghanistan. However, he recalled her telling him that she was "having the experience of her life" and that he was proud of her. Gee's dedication to her duty and her country, as well as her good character, are reflected in the awarding of the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.

The Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal was first established in 1896 and has undergone some design changes over the years. The medal features a Marine gunner serving a naval gun, encircled by the words "United States Marine Corps." The ribbon of the medal consists of a field of dark red bisected by a stripe of dark blue, with the blue representing the Marine Corps. Sgt. Gee's posthumous award of the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal serves as a testament to her bravery, commitment, and sacrifice in the line of duty.

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