This is the second part of Fox News Digital’s “Freedom Isn’t Free” series honoring America’s fallen heroes.
Gold Star aunt Cheryl Jewels is honoring her niece’s ultimate sacrifice in service to country through a new foundation whose mission is to “honor the brave and selfless sacrifice of beloved U.S. Marine Nicole Gee, who loved her job and gave her life for our country.”
Sergeant Nicole M. Gee of the U.S. Marine Corps said, Kabul, AfghanistanShe died along with 12 other U.S. service members on Aug. 26, 2021. She was 23 years old at the time.
Freedom Isn’t Free: U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jared M. Schmitz
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Juelz shared her understanding of the saying, “freedom isn’t free.”
“You know, freedom doesn’t come for free because many of these people can’t go home, and when you enlist, it means you’re willing to take that risk so people can live in a country like ours,” Juelz said.
The Gold Star aunt added: “It’s unfortunate that we live in a time when people forget that, but that’s not true. Freedom isn’t free. It takes a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice. And I want them to remember that.” [the Fourth of July is] It’s not just barbecue.”
Her aunt, Cheryl, said Nicole was raised with a strong sense of service. “We grew up in a military family. Several of my family members were in the military, so Nicole grew up in a military family. Then her high school sweetheart, Jarrod, joined the Marines,” Juelz said.
Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole M. Gee was killed in action on Aug. 26, 2021, at Abbey Gate, Afghanistan. (Cheryl Jewels)
Nicole helped Jarrod train to be a recon Marine and decided to join herself. “She was very smart and very driven, and she had no intention of being a dependent, so she followed suit and joined the Marines,” Juelz recalls.
Nicole and Jarrod were married in August 2016 and were stationed together at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Sergeant Gee was later stationed on a Navy ship where he took up Jiu Jitsu, which became a great passion.
“Nicole started practicing jiu jitsu while she was on the ship, and within six months of getting off the ship, she earned her black belt in jiu jitsu and became a martial arts instructor,” Juelz recalls. “It was the most difficult thing she’d ever done, physically and mentally.”
“You know, freedom doesn’t come for free because many of these people can’t go home. And they know that when they enlist, they’re willing to take that risk so that people can live in a country like ours.”
Nicole was a “gym-goer” and took her fitness seriously. “Being physically active and healthy was a big thing for her, and staying prepared was a big thing.” Gee achieved perfect scores on her combat fitness tests.
Gee was promoted to sergeant on Aug. 2, 2021, and immediately deployed to Afghanistan on Aug. 13.
Sergeant Nicole Gee is stationed at Camp Lejeune and completed recruit training at Parris Island. (Cheryl Jewels)
Juelz recalls Gee’s deployments, “At first, she contacted me a little too frequently. She wasn’t the type of person who wanted to worry anybody, so she just kept saying, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK. Don’t listen to what you hear on the news.'”
“There are a lot of men here. You know, before the airfield was taken over and before the Taliban approached, she was a lot more positive. But after that, there was less and less verbal communication,” she added.
Sergeant Gee was deployed to support evacuation efforts during the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021. (Cheryl Jewels)
Cheryl Jewels believes there was a fundamental lack of leadership, alleging, “There wasn’t a lot of top-down support, but I know that everyone just said they wanted to do ‘Fast & Furious’. I know that Nicole volunteered. She had a regular job loading luggage onto planes, working 12-14 hour days.”
“Then she went to resupply them with water and whatever supplies she could, and then she and a few other girls went out as volunteer team members to search for and rescue women and children, because they knew if they didn’t they would be left behind,” Juelz recalled.
The Nicole M. Gee Memorial Foundation is dedicated to supporting military families, including supporting health and wellness and promoting service and sacrifice.
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Jewels said Nicole would have wanted to spend the Fourth of July with her family.
“She would want us all to get together and do something fun and just laugh and have fun. That’s what she would want.”
