Roseville to hold vigil for Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, ‘hometown hero’ slain in Afghanistan

A vigil for Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, who was killed in Afghanistan last week, will be held in downtown Roseville on Tuesday evening.

Gee, 23, died along with 12 other U.S. military service members in a suicide bombing attack at the Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26 while working to evacuate Afghans and American citizens as part of the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps., Gee graduated from Oakmont High School in 2016. Her husband, Jarod Gee, is also a graduate of Oakmont High and a Marine.

Gee’s name became well-known following the attack after a photo of her cradling a Afghan baby in her arms circulated on social media. She captioned the Instagram photo, “I love my job.”

Marine Corps officials said in a news release that Gee was assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 24, providing ground electronics transmission systems maintenance.

In a social media post Saturday, Roseville city officials said Gee is “our hometown hero,” and offered their “unwavering support” to her family.

A community vigil is planned to honor her at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Vernon Street Town Square in Roseville, located at 311 Vernon Street.

Road closures will begin at 2 p.m.

Free parking is available in the Vernon Street Parking Garage at 405 Vernon Street.

This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 4:41 PM.