Shana Chappell lost her 20-year-old son, Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, in the August 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul’s Abbey Gate. Two weeks before the first anniversary of that attack, her eldest son Dakota Halverson died by suicide. Chappell initially spoke openly and politically about her grief but later withdrew from media attention and social platforms. She married Kareem’s Marine friend Tadeo Guerra and now finds solace visiting her sons’ graves and spending time with her grandchildren.
Mother of Five Finds Quiet Peace After Losing Two Sons — One in Kabul Airport Bombing, One to Suicide
Courtesy of Shana Chappell (2)Shana Chappell's sons Kareem Nikoui (left) and Dakota Halverson
Shana Chappell still remembers the first year after her son’s death as a fog: an overwhelming pain she had never known. Her 20-year-old son, Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, was killed by a suicide bomber at the Abbey Gate of Kabul’s international airport in August 2021 while helping protect evacuees during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal. Kareem died alongside 12 fellow Marines, other service members and numerous civilians.
Courtesy of Shana ChappellKareem Nikoui
Double Tragedy Strikes
The loss fractured Chappell’s family. In the months after the bombing she was consumed by guilt that she had not protected Kareem, anger at the government decisions that she believed put him in harm’s way, and deep concern for her remaining children. Kareem’s eldest brother, Dakota Halverson, 28, who struggled with autism-related challenges and substance abuse, had been urged by Kareem to turn his life around. Dakota made changes, securing a job and a place to live, but within a year of Kareem’s death he began asking troubling questions about faith and burial arrangements.
Courtesy of Shana ChappellShana Chappell's daughters Shaelynn (left) and Shyler (second from left) with Chappell and son Dakota Halverson (right) at the Camp Pendleton memorial for her son and others
'I don’t really remember anything from the first year because of the shock,' Chappell says. 'When that shock lifted I was on my knees. I wouldn’t wish this pain on anybody.'
Two weeks before the first anniversary of Kareem’s death, Dakota died by suicide. The second loss sent Chappell into deeper grief, exhaustion and moments of rage. She has described being unable to get out of bed and feeling 'off her rocker' in the months that followed.
Courtesy of Shana ChappellShana Chappell at her sons' graves in California
From Public Outcry to Private Healing
In the aftermath Chappell was outspoken on social media — directing anger at political leaders and at times expressing support for candidates. She later says she regrets letting her son's memory be used in political arguments, and has since stepped away from partisan posts and most media attention. Congressional hearings into the Abbey Gate attack began in March 2023, and in August 2023 family members were invited to a roundtable discussion; Chappell did not attend, citing health issues including atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) that limited her participation.
Courtesy of Shana ChappellShana Chappell (right) and husband Tadeo Guerra
As public attention intensified, she found interviews draining and gradually declined requests. 'Slowly in the second year I started declining them because I realized the people who were asking to interview me didn’t care about me or my family,' she says.
Finding Comfort and a New Chapter
In the years since the tragedies, Chappell has pulled back from news and social media and focused on family and healing. She reconnected with Tadeo Guerra, one of Kareem’s Marine Corps friends who had been at Abbey Gate the day of the bombing. Guerra, now her husband, was present during the attack, helped summon aid and carry wounded, and suffered some hearing loss from the explosion. The couple married and moved to Riverside County, a short drive from the cemetery where Kareem and Dakota are buried.
'We stay private,' Chappell says of her marriage. 'He’s very kind and has helped me through so much and he’s been here when I’ve needed him most.' She credits him with teaching her that she is allowed to live again despite never fully healing from her sons’ deaths.
Small Consolations
Chappell visits her sons’ graves several times a week, kissing their photographs and talking to them about daily life — a ritual she says helps calm her nerves. Her other children live nearby, and her six grandchildren bring moments of joy. 'There’s something about getting a hug and being around them and playing with them. It brings me some type of peace,' she says.
While the wounds remain, Chappell’s story is one of enduring love, complicated grief and the slow, quiet steps toward rebuilding a life marked by memory and family ties.
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