ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Hundreds of people gathered Monday at a ceremony to celebrate the dedication of a new Roseville road to a fallen servicemember.
Nicole Gee Drive bears the name of a Marine sergeant who was killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 26, 2021, at the age of 23.
Including Gee, 13 servicemembers and more than 170 others died in the attack while the U.S. military was helping people evacuate the war-torn country just two weeks after the Taliban took over.
“She did what she wanted to do and she was there because she wanted to help those people. She said it more than once,” Robin Bjerke, Sgt. Gee’s grandmother said. “I get goose bumps just talking about it. Of course, she didn’t go over there to die but that’s what happened.”
Gee grew up in Roseville and graduated from Oakmont High School in 2016.
Misty Fuoco, Gee's older sister, said she was her best friend and her memory will live on.
"It brings tears to me and my family. It means a lot. One day we're all going to pass away and her memory will still be here and that's the only thing we can ask. She sacrificed everything, her life, which any marine, army, corpsman — any servicemember would do the same and I know everyone who was there with her is with her today in spirit and will continue to spread her name and honor her. And this is one thing that will spread her name for as long as this road is still here which is probably going to be thousands of years. It's an extremely awesome way to honor her," Fuoco said.
Her family was the first to ride down the newly named street in a Roseville fire truck, with community members and representatives in Congress cheering them on from the ground below.
“Sergeant Nicole Gee is an American hero and her legacy is going to forever be woven into the fabric of this community,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, who represents Placer County, said.
Gee’s family said if she could be here today, she would be deeply touched to see all the love and support in the community she called home.
“She gave her life so that other people could have freedom,” Fuoco said. “She loved to give, spread light and positivity and that’s what I hope people are touched by that and her memory.”
Nicole Gee Drive intersects with Market Street in Roseville.
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