Exclusive California lawmakers on Thursday will memorialize four of the 13 U.S. soldiers who lost their lives during the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Republican Rep. Bill Essari, who spearheaded the movement, plans to pay tribute to Corporal Kareem Nikoui, who was killed along with a fellow soldier in a suicide bombing while evacuating from then-Hamid Karzai International Airport, an attack that killed at least 180 civilians.
All four military members honored at the California State Capitol on Thursday were from California.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Essari said he was moved to hear his Gold Star father, Herman Lopez, speak at the 2024 Republican National Convention about his son, Corporal Hunter Lopez, who was also killed in a suicide bombing.
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California Assemblyman Bill Essie (California State Assembly)
“I thought it was very moving, so I asked my staff, ‘Have we ever done anything for these families at the State Capitol?’, and they couldn’t remember us ever doing anything to honor our soldiers,” Essari said. “I said, ‘We have Memorial Day coming up here and I think this is totally appropriate, so let’s invite the families and have them pay their respects on the floor of the California State Capitol.'”
Essari and his colleagues will present a memorial resolution to each Gold Star family, after which each district representative will give a brief speech about each fallen service member.
Steve Nikoy, a Gold Star father who lost his son, Kareem, in the bombing and will be attending the ceremony, told Fox News Digital that the past three years have been incredibly difficult. About a year after losing Kareem, his other son committed suicide.
Corporal Kareem Nikoui was one of 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing at Kabul airport in August 2021 during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Provided by Nikoui’s family)
“I did the right thing, like any normal person would, and spent the first few years trying to recover,” Nikoi said, fighting back tears, before lashing out at the Biden administration.
“Meanwhile, the administration continues to deny their service, their sacrifices and what happened, refusing to let the American people know the truth,” Nikoi said.
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Nikoui taunted President Biden during his State of the Union address in March, repeatedly yelling “Abbey Gate,” referring to the site of the airport where the Aug. 26, 2021 suicide bombing took place.
Steve Nikoy shouts as President Biden, not pictured, speaks during the State of the Union address on March 7, 2024, at the U.S. Capitol. (Shawn Hsu/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Nikoui was later removed from the House gallery by Capitol Police and arrested on misdemeanor charges of crowding, obstruction and inconvenience, charges later dropped by D.C. Democratic Attorney General Brian Schwalb.
Nikoui said Biden had an opportunity to unite the country and pay tribute to fallen US soldiers in his State of the Union address, but “chose not to do so.”
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“He chose to honor his son and to call him by his name, and I think that’s what caused the downfall of this administration, and with that withdrawal, our civilization, our society, our America, paid the price,” Nikoi said. “We’re really hurting badly.”
Essari criticized the Democratic Party for never making an effort to commemorate fallen U.S. military personnel.
In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, flag-covered transport cases are lined up inside a C-17 Globemaster II prior to a dignified transfer Aug. 29, 2021, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. (Jason Minto/U.S. Air Force via Getty Images)
“Democrats are great at currying favor and saying they care about veterans, but when it comes to really honoring and helping veterans, you don’t see the actions to back that up. I think the fact that they’ve never thought of or taken the initiative to perform this ceremony says it all,” Essari said, noting that California lawmakers have honored the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group that mocks the Catholic faith.
Essari said he hopes Thursday’s ceremony will highlight the two choices Americans have in the November election: former President Trump, who he credits with not starting a new war, and Vice President Harris, who represents the legacy of the Biden administration.
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“There are conflicts all over the world, so leadership is important and weakness is provocative,” Essari said. “That’s my message.”
