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US Marine's tragic final Instagram post showed her care for Afghan children before being killed in Kabul attack
One of Nicole Gee's last social media posts was a photo of her cradling a baby amid the chaos in Afghanistan.
The US Marine Sergeant was among thousands of American military personnel helping citizens of her country and selected Afghans make their way to the flights that would take them to safety.
On Thursday, she was among the 13 American military personnel killed after a suicide bombing outside Kabul Airport.
Nicole Gee was a 23-year-old maintenance technician from Sacramento, California, who had joined the Marines in 2017, per CBS News.
Just days before Nicole Gee's tragic death, she shared an image on Instagram that showed her holding a baby in her arms at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport.
"I love my job," the 23-year-old captioned the snap. The California native was remembered as a "hometown hero" in a tribute from the city of Roseville.
"Nicole was a 2016 Oakmont High School graduate who enlisted in the Marines a year after she graduated. Her husband, Jarod Gee, is also an Oakmont graduate and Marine," read the tribute.
In another tribute, Sgt. Mallory Harrison wrote that Gee's "last breath was taken doing what she loved - helping people."
U.S. service members were at the Kabul airport to help evacuate tens of thousands of people left vulnerable after the Taliban took over the country.
Gee was sworn into the Marines less than a year ago and was promoted to sergeant three weeks before the Kabul attack, according to posts on her Instagram account.
A total of 13 US service members tragically lost their lives after an explosion outside Kabul airport in Afghanistan took place that was carried out by ISIS.
At least 170 have been confirmed dead as a result of the attack.
In a White House speech Thursday after the attack, President Joe Biden praised the service members who were safeguarding ongoing evacuation operations in Kabul amid the US withdrawal.
He called them "heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others."
Officials believe US forces were targeted in a suicide attack by extremists with a branch of the Islamic State who oppose both America and the Taliban.
Biden, in his White House speech, vowed retaliation and held a moment of silence for the dead.
"We're outraged as well as heartbroken. We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," the POTUS said.