Family of U.S. Marine killed in 2021 Afghanistan bombing pushes for Norco street named in his honor
Family members of a U.S. Marine from Norco who was killed in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing in Afghanistan are pushing to have a street named in his honor.
Steve Nikoui said there's not a day that goes by when he doesn't think about the sacrifice that his son, Marine Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui, made.
"We wouldn't have any of these privileges we have if we didn't have kids like Kareem that are willing to sacrifice," Steve Nikoui said.
Kareem Nikoui, a Norco native, was killed in a suicide bombing attack outside the Kabul Airport during the 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan. Now, family members want his legacy permanently cemented on the street he spent so much time on as a child. They're hopeful that the portion of Sixth Street in front of the Ingalls Event Center can be named after Kareem.
"I'd love it when he was in high school and he was a kid, I would drive by and see him working many of the events and that just really tickled me," Steve Nikoui said.
Their hopes, however, are being stalled by the city, family members claim. They also say that a request to rename a park in his honor was previously denied.
"Telling me that, you know, we've already done enough for him," Steve Nikoui said.
He was one of a group that flooded Wednesday night's Norco City Council meeting to support changing the street's name.
"Do not make this family keep asking," one person said during the meeting. "Honor the past. Honor the next generation. His parents couldn't bring their son home, but Norco can bring his name home."
During the meeting, city leaders said they don't have a formal policy when it comes to renaming existing streets to honor people or events, but they did vote to begin looking into such a method.
"I hope that folks understand how deeply reverent this community is for our military and military service," said Mayor Robin Grundmeyer.
"We just have to make sure that whatever process we do is done with care, and honor, and not by grifters," said City Councilman Kevin Bash.
Kareem Nikoui was 20 when he was killed. His father says he was a JROTC graduate of Norco High School that has a plaque bearing his name in the Veterans Memorial Plaza in Norco, and a federal post office named in his honor, but he still believes there's one more way to honor the local hero.
"Before Kareem became a name recognized by Congress or the State of California, he was a son of Norco," Steve Nikoui said during the meeting.
He plans to hold a petition signing event over the weekend for anyone who supports renaming part of Sixth Street after his son. The portion of the street in question houses a park, parts of the event center and leads to a hiking trail.
