Norco community gathers to honor the 13 service members killed in Kabul airport bombing
A Riverside County community gathered on Monday to hold a candlelight vigil for the 13 American troops that were killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2021.
The ceremony, held at the Norco Country Center's Fallen 13 Memorial Flower Garden, honored the lives lost in the tragic incident that left nearly 185 people dead while they were in the midst of an evacuation effort at Hamid Karzai International Airport, near the airport's entrance called Abbey Gate. Of the people killed, 170 were Afghan citizens and 13 were United States service members.
Among those killed was U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui, whose family was in attendance. He was one of 11 Marines killed, along with 22-year-old Marine Corporal Hunter Lopez of Indio and 20-year-old Marine Lance Corporal Dylan R. Merola from Rancho Cucamonga.
Nikoui's family was on hand for the ceremony. She, along with many other Gold Star families, say that the withdrawal efforts were disastrous and could have been prevented, despite the U.S. Department of Defenses' claims stating the opposite.
"That's when our lives changed forever," Nikoui's mother, Shana Chappell said. "I have every right to be mad. I feel like my son has been disrespected in his death. He gave his life for this country. He was over there in a foreign country away from his family, helping strangers, and he lost his life doing it."
Nikoui's name, along with Merola and Lopez, are among the 13 with their names now listed on the plaque at the Fallen 13 Flower Garden, which was dedicated to the fallen service members in Sept. 2021.
"I miss seeing his smile and I miss hearing his stories and I miss seeing him enjoy life, cause Kareem really, really loved life," Chappell said.
Two fellow Marines that survived the bombing at Abbey Gate were on hand to help retire and place the American Flag that flies over the memorial.
While the day doesn't get any easier for her and her family, Chappell says that it's nice to know there's a community that won't forget what she lost.
"Keep honoring and remembering not just Kareem, but all 13," she said while speaking to the crowd. "Thank you all so much."