One year later: Jacksonville group to honor 13 service members killed in Afghanistan

Morgan Starling, The Daily News
·3 min read
Camp Lejeune Marine, Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, was among the casualties in Kabul due to an ISIS suicide bomber. She holds an infant in Kabul just days before the attack.
Camp Lejeune Marine, Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, was among the casualties in Kabul due to an ISIS suicide bomber. She holds an infant in Kabul just days before the attack.

Memorials flowed throughout Jacksonville and Onslow County in late August 2021 after word spread of 13 service men and women being killed in a suicide bomb attack at an airport in Kabul, Afghanistan — especially when word came that one of those who lost their lives was stationed aboard Camp Lejeune.

On Friday, a local nonprofit has chosen to not let their memories fade and will honor those military members killed one year ago to the day.

Remember Everyone Deployed (R.E.D.) will be hosting a candlelight vigil on Friday, August 26, to honor those service members who were killed, which included former Camp Lejeune Marine Sgt. Nicole L. Gee.

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Gee was 23-years-old and assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

More: City of Jacksonville, Onslow County mourning after attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan

More: Lejeune Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee among casualties identified in attack in Afghanistan

A native of Sacramento, California, Gee was remembered by her sister Misty Fuoco as a "bright light to everyone she touched, always focusing on positivity and motivating others to do their best," as previously reported by The Daily News.

The vigil will be held between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Vietnam Memorial Gardens in Jacksonville.

According to a press release from R.E.D., special guests U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy, N.C. Senator Mike Lazzara and Swansboro Mayor John Davis will speak at the ceremony. The memorial will be hosted by retired U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Yolanda Mayo.

The candlelight vigil will also include a special color guard provided by Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations East - Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and an invocation prayer led by Lead Pastor of City Harvest Church of Richlands Timothy Aaron Cavenaugh.

Sgt. Mallory Harrison, roommate and lifetime friend of Gee, will give a touching speech, and CEO/Founder of R.E.D. Gloria De Paul will recite a poem written by Jim McCollum, father of Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, who was also killed in the attack.

The release added that Paige Jamison, daughter of former USMC Sgt. Carol Jamison, will sing the National Anthem, current reigning Miss Onslow County Mary Beth Childress will play "Taps" and local videographer Celeste Chandler will be capturing the event.

R.E.D. will also be handing out books that attendees will have the opportunity to sign, which will then be given to the families of the 13 fallen. R.E.D. is encouraging attendees to wear the color red.

Eleven of the service members killed were Marines, while the other two were Navy Corpsmen and a U.S. Army Soldier. At the time of the attack, they were supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in the area as part of Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

Nicole Gee on board an MV-22B Osprey during an exercise on April 5, 2021.
Nicole Gee on board an MV-22B Osprey during an exercise on April 5, 2021.

As reported previously by The Daily News, just over a month following the attack, approximately 600 personnel with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit returned home to Camp Lejeune from Afghanistan.

Many of the Marines killed in the attack were out of Camp Pendleton, including Staff Sergeant Darin T. Hoover, Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Cpl. Daegan W. Page, Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, and Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui.

All were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton, California.

Also lost in the attack were Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo, who was assigned to 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Naval Support Activity Bahrain; Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, a Tennessee native who was serving with a unit from Fort Bragg; and Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22.

Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said that an additional 15 service members were injured in the attack, according to previous The Daily News reports.

Reporter Morgan Starling can be reached at mstarling@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Daily News: Jacksonville nonprofit to hold vigil for Kabul attack one year later