Republican congressional candidate Myra Flores argued: Tweet on July 27 The family of Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee, who died in action, paid for her body to be airlifted to Arlington National Cemetery.
Sergeant Nicole Gee was one of 13 Americans killed during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Her family, not the Pentagon, paid for her transfer to her final resting place.
Our Gold Star family should never be financially responsible for burying loved ones… pic.twitter.com/f6tcoDXOFO
— Myra Flores (@MayraFlores_TX) July 27, 2023
Verdict: Misleading
Gee’s family did not pay for her body to be airlifted to Arlington National Cemetery, but the cost was covered by donations to the nonprofit Honoring Our Fallen. The Pentagon did not deny compensation or help from her family in transporting Gee’s body to the cemetery.
Fact check:
Gee was one of 13 Marines killed in a suicide bombing while evacuating from Afghanistan in August 2021. Washington Post. Flores claims that Gee’s family “paid for her move to her final home.”
“Sergeant. Nicole Zee was one of 13 Americans killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The cost of moving her to her final resting place was paid by her family, not the Pentagon. Our Gold Star family should never be financially responsible for burying loved ones and American heroes,” Flores tweeted.
This claim is misleading.This claim seems to be based on fox news article The article said the Pentagon had refused to pay for Gee’s body to be moved to Arlington National Cemetery and that his family was being asked for $60,000 until Honoring Our Fallen intervened. claim. However, this story is false.of Military.com.
Gee’s mother-in-law, Christy Chamblin, said: mission and purpose That the Pentagon never refused to pay for the transportation of Gee’s body to Arlington.
“We got the information that it would cost this much and I think a private nonprofit stepped in and took over from there. yeah. That could have been the next step in the process, but we didn’t get there,” Chamblin said.
a spokesman for the Department of Defense said. mission and purpose They said they had “no record of charges incurred or pending reimbursement requests related to Sergeant’s transportation.” Gee’s remains are in Arlington National Cemetery. ”
“In the case of the sergeant. Huh, the Marines have adhered to the government’s policy of paying all costs associated with their internment. At this time, we have no record of any charges incurred or pending reimbursement claims associated with the sergeant’s transportation. No. Gee’s remains go to Arlington National Cemetery The Marines take the transfer of the remains of Marines very seriously, they never leave them behind and they care for the families of Marines who have died in action. ‘ said the spokesperson.
Honoring Laura Herzog, founder of Fallen CBS news Neither Gee’s family nor the non-profit organization spent any money to move Gee’s body to Arlington National Cemetery. (Related: Pentagon claims US last used cluster bombs in 2003)
“No monetary exchange or payment was ever expected from our organization or family. Hi, we are proud of our support for Sergeant Zee and her family, this needs a village and I honor her sacrifice and united us in support. I am proud of our community,” said Herzog.
Republican Florida Rep. Corey Mills, who first spoke to Fox News about the false story, said in a July 27 statement that Gee’s family was “confused about the transfer process.”
— Rep. Corey Mills 🇺🇸 (@RepMillsPress) July 27, 2023
“I understand the feelings of Sergeant’s family. Ms. Nicole Gee was confused about the transfer process during her grief. Thank you for providing an explanation,” Mills said in part.
Check Your Fact has reached out to the Flores camp for comment and will update this article if we hear back.
