Three years ago on Aug. 20, 2021, Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee posted a photo of herself holding an Afghan baby to her Instagram account, captioning the picture, “I love my job.” The photo was taken during the final days of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Six days later, an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated a suicide vest at the Abbey Gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport. The attack resulted in the death of Gee, 12 other service members, and over 100 Afghans. On the anniversary of Gee’s death, the USS Iwo Jima, a Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, dedicated its gym to the fallen Marine.
“She served aboard the USS Iwo Jima, and she was an avid gym rat, and that’s one of the more prominent memories people have of her,” said Master Sgt. Joshua Rehm, the Marine who helped organize the ceremony. “So, naturally, as we were refurbishing our gym, coming out of the yards, and getting all the equipment, we decided to do a dedication memorial to her.”
Gee’s Instagram has a highlight reel jam-packed with photos of her progress in training, showing muscle gains from head to toe. Those who knew her said Gee was dedicated to bettering herself and helping others.
According to an August 2021 story by Coffee or Die Magazine, Mallory Harrison, a close friend of Gee’s, posted a touching note to Facebook about her personality.
“My very best friend, my person, my sister forever,” Harrison wrote. “I can’t quite describe the feeling I get when I force myself to come back to reality & think about how I’m never going to see her again. How her last breath was taken doing what she loved — helping people — at HKIA in Afghanistan. Then there was an explosion. And just like that, she’s gone.”
The ship’s gym doors are wrapped with a design that shows a photo of Gee, emblems for the USS Iwo Jima and the Marine Corps, and a detailed description of her service, including a detailed accounting of Gee’s actions and those of the other female service members assigned to the Female Engagement Team.
FETs are small groups of female volunteers deployed with male infantry units with a mission to collect information from Afghan families and communicate with women without breaking cultural traditions. Together, they saved the lives of 124,000 Afghans.
That’s what stood out to Rehm the most.
“The biggest thing is, obviously, helping others,” Rehm said. “That was her mission. She was in Afghanistan to help civilians get out of harm’s way. She loved it and did it to the best of her abilities.”
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The gym dedication to Gee was presented before a large group of currently serving Marines and veterans, those who served with or are motivated by Gee’s service and sacrifice.
“Anywhere from junior Marines who have since gotten out of the military to lieutenant commanders and anything in between,” Rehm said. “All of who have been involved or impacted by her sacrifice.”
Rehm said the gym dedication is the first he’s seen aboard a ship, but it’s an important part of commemorating those killed in action.
“As long as you’re continuing to tell their story and continue talking about them, it’s powerful and inspirational,” Rehm said. “It’s an excellent thing that should continue. Anything that we can do to honor the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed. I’m all for it.”
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