“Our lives will never be the same.”
Christy Shamblin, whose daughter-in-law, Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, was one of the 13 American service members killed in an ISIS-K terror attack during the chaotic August 2021 U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, is still processing such a monumental, earth-shattering loss.
Listen to them on the latest episode of “Quick Start” 👇
“She was our light, but she was also a light for so many other people,” Shamblin told CBN News. “We’ve changed everything about how we live with her loss. We won’t be the same people ever again.”
Navigating the Pain
Shamblin’s raw pain is still evident. And yet the undaunted and brave Gold Star family member has spent the past two-and-a-half years sharing about Gee, critiquing the U.S. government’s widely rebuked pullout, and pleading for answers.
The impact of Gee’s death on Shamblin was immeasurably clear and present throughout the conversation, with her praise for the late soldier’s character taking center stage.
“Nicole … was a superstar,” Shamblin said. “She was dynamic and amazing. She had a positive mental attitude, and she expressed that to everybody she came in contact with.”
Watch Shamblin discuss Gee and the family’s experience with the Biden administration:
Shamblin said Gee was incredibly proud of her service in the Marine Corps and at Abbey Gate, where the deadly bombing unfolded.
“She knew she was saving lives and she was extremely proud,” Shamblin said. “And there’s nothing you want more for your kids than to have them be proud of what they’re doing.”
Nearly three years later, she said processing the loss of Gee and all that unfolded in Afghanistan is “a work in progress.” Shamblin and her family members were so proud of Gee’s passion and bravery, thus the loss, in light of Gee’s love for her work, sparked a “bittersweet feeling.”
Low Expectations
Shamblin was in attendance earlier this month during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, which she called “disheartening,” yet predictable.
“I have pretty low expectations these days,” Shamblin said, noting she “wasn’t surprised” by Biden’s SOTU speech. “He … it doesn’t flow together. It’s not relevant, what he’s speaking about — to what is in the room, to what’s happening in the country.”
She continued, “I feel like he’s disconnected from what the people are concerned about. And it’s hard to see that. … I think that, largely, they’ve lost sight that … the people that fight these wars are young men and women who sacrifice their lives, and they don’t get the respect. We don’t even get attention from our administration much less respect.”
Shamblin recently made headlines after a CNN segment during which anchor Abby Phillip asked whether she sees Biden as a “consoler-in-chief.”
“He does talk to families that have lost loved ones because of his own experiences,” Phillip said. “Have you spoken to him?”
Shamblin stunned the anchor and audience when she responded she had not spoken to Biden and that his administration has reportedly not replied to her family’s inquiries.
Shamblin reiterated this in her interview with CBN News.
“We haven’t been reached out to,” she said, noting there was an encounter at Dover Air Force Base and that it was the “first and only and last interaction” she has had with the Biden administration despite reaching out to the White House.
The meeting at Dover Air Force Base three days after the deadly bombing was emotional and sobering, with the families of murdered service members expressing a feeling of being disrespected when Biden greeted them.
“The administration didn’t seem to know our story,” Shamblin told ABC News in 2021. “They didn’t seem to know Nicole’s name, our names. People from the military certainly knew our story, Nicole’s name, our names. And that was expressed to us in a way that felt very genuine and loving. But when it came to the people in suits, it felt disingenuous and hollow.”
Another family said the president made the encounter all about him, with reports he discussed the loss of his own son, Beau Biden, due to cancer. And yet another family member described seeing Biden repeatedly check his watch, something she called “beyond disgusting.”
Seeking Answers
That encounter aside, Shamblin and her family have concerns and questions about how the Afghanistan pullout was handled. While they’ve heard from members of Congress and others in various positions, she said no one from the White House or Biden administration has engaged them.
“In March of last year, in D.C., we reached out to them … in an effort to find out how they can call this a success,” she said. “I don’t know everything. I only know my part of the story. … We’d like to hear how do you call this a success, and we have never received even a response. So, it’s confusing.”
Despite not getting questions answered, Shamblin said she has heard from people in the Marines who have shared their experiences on the ground. Some of those people have helped fill in the informational gaps — but major questions still remain.
“Our questions now revolve around — How do we make this never happen again?” she said. “This was an evacuation. It was a peaceful evacuation. What went wrong? … Nobody’s finding how to fix it next time.”
At moments, Shamblin became emotional as she reflected on Gee and her decision to continue speaking out — something she admitted can be “difficult.” Regardless of the challenges, she won’t give up.
“Our kids were not afraid,” she said of Gee and other fallen servicemembers. “And we’re not going to be afraid, and we have each other — and that’s the family that we’ve formed as Gold Star families … we have each other’s backs.”
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***