Work begins on new Roseville road named for Marine sergeant killed in Afghanistan

Crews began paving a new road in West Roseville last week, named for fallen Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee.

Gee, a 23-year-old Roseville native and graduate of Oakmont High School, was killed in a suicide-bomber attack during the evacuation of Afghanistan in August 2021. Gee and 12 other American service members were killed in the attack, outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.

The Roseville City Council adopted a resolution on Dec. 15, 2021, to rename Sierra Glen Drive, which connects Upland Drive and Westbrook Boulevard, to Nicole Gee Drive.

The new road is being built in West Roseville and will be lined with new homes over the next few years.

The name change was initiated by the Westpark Communities and Mourier Land Investment Corporation, which are developing the area. The developers said they “would like to honor her service and life by renaming this shared roadway through their respective neighborhoods,” in the resolution adopted by the City Council.

“There is strong support for the family in our community,” said Deputy City Manager Megan Scheid in an email.

Gee was deployed as part of a humanitarian mission to help evacuate Americans and Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban as the 20-year Afghan war drew to a close. Gee’s name and face became well-known following her death after a photo of her cradling an Afghan baby in her arms circulated across the internet. She captioned the photo, “I love my job.”