>> A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE HE GET
SENT TO KABUL, HE CALLED AND
SAID HE WAS GETTING SENT TO
KABUL.
THEN I STARTED WORRYING.
PETE: WE’RE MASHING ONE YEAR
SINCES KABUL AIRPORT BLAST THAT
KILLED 13 U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS. KAREEM’S BROTHER KANSAS CITY
KAREEM’S BROTHER KANSAS CITY
CHIEFSDAKOTA TOOK HISOWN LIFE TH
HIS BROTHER’S GRAVE.
HIS MOTHER SHANNA CHAPEL JOINS
US NOW.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
I CAN’T IMAGINE.
FIRST OF ALL, TELL US ABOUT
KAREEM AND SHARE HIS STORY ON
WHO HE WAS.
>> KAREEM WAS SOMEBODY THAT WAS
VERY OUT GOING, VERY HELPFUL.
HE WAS VERY THOUGHTFUL AND
CARING.
HE LOVED BEING A MARINE, LOVED
HIS JOB AS A MARINE.
HE WAS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.
PETE: EVERY ONE OF US WAS
IMPACTED AT SOME WAY.
I REMEMBER THE SHAME AND THE
ANGER WHEN THAT BLAST OCCURRED
AND WE HEARD ABOUT THOSE DEATHS.
OBVIOUSLY EXPONENTIALLY MORE
IMPACTFUL FOR YOU AND YOUR
FAMILY.
HOW HAVE YOU MANAGED THIS PAST YEAR?
>> IT’S BEEN A VERY, VERY ROUGH
YEAR.
THEY SAY TIME HEALS BUT THE PAIN
TODAY IS JUST AS STRONG AS IT
WAS THE DAY I FOUND OUT.
SO I’M STILL WAITING FOR TIME TO
HEAL ME.
IT’S AFFECTED MY FAMILY VERY
STRONGLY TOO, ESPECIALLY MY
OLDEST SON.
PETE: THAT’S THE OLDEST SON,
DAKOTA, WHO TOOK HIS OWN LIFE AT
THE GRAVE OF HIS BROTHER.
WHAT DO FAMILIES -- GO AHEAD.
PLEASE.
>> HE ACTUALLY TOOK HIS LIFE AT
THE PARK BY OUR HOUSE WHERE HE
USED TO GO WITH HIS BROTHERS
WHEN KAREEM WOULD COME HOME ON
THE WEEKEND FROM PENDLETON, HE
AND HIS BROTHERS COULD HANG OUT
AND GO TO THE PARK AND SWING AND
PLAY AT THE PARK AS IF THEY WERE
KIDS AGAIN AND ACROSS THE STREET
FROM THE PARK IS A PERMANENT
MEMORIAL FOR KAREEM.
HE KILLED HIMSELF ACROSS FROM
THAT.
PETE: HOW MUCH OF HOW IT
HAPPENED IS APART OF THE IMPACT,
MEANING THE TALIBAN WAS ON
SECURITY, WE WERE RETREATING.
IT WAS CHAOS.
HOW MUCH OF THE CHAOS OF THAT
MOMENT IMPACTS HOW YOU FEEL
ABOUT THIS?
>> HOW I FEEL ABOUT WHAT HAS
HAPPENED TO BOTH MY SONS?
PETE: WHAT’S HAPPENED TO YOU IS
UNIMAGINABLE.
BUT PEOPLE ARE LOST IN COMBAT
FOR MISSIONS THAT WE KNOW ARE
WELL PLANNED AND THINGS HAPPEN
IN COMBAT.
IN THIS CASE, IT WAS CHAOS AND
IT WAS POORLY PLANNED AND WE
WERE IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY.
DOES THAT MAKE IT EVEN WORSE?
>> YES.
IT MAKES IT WORSE CAUSE THIS WAS
PREVENTABLE.
IF THIS -- IT WAS AN EVACUATION.
HAD IT BEEN HANDLED THE RIGHT
WAY, MY SON, I CAN SPEAK FOR MY
SON, WOULD STILL BE HERE.
PETE: I HAVE TO ASK YOU, THERE’S
REPORTING IN THE LAST TWO DAYS
OF THE DAILY MAIL, A MARINE
INJURED IN THE BLAST THAT KILLED
YOUR SON, CLAIMING THAT THE CIA
HAD TOLD THEM ABOUT THE PERSON,
THE SUICIDE BOMBER AND HAD BEEN
IDENTIFIED TWO DAYS PRIOR AS A
POTENTIAL SUSPECT.
THEY ASKED FOR PERMISSION TO
SHOOT A SNIPER, THIS POTENTIAL
BOMBER AND THEY SAID, LET ME GET
A MILITARY JUDGE TO SEE IF IT
WAS LEGAL.
THERE’S A POSSIBILITY THAT THE
PERSON THAT SET OFF THAT SUICIDE
VEST HAD BEEN AT LEAST IN PART
IDENTIFIED AND THEY WERE NOT
ALLOWED TO SHOOT.
YOUR REACTION?
>> YEAH, I HEARD THE SAME THING.
I HEARD IT A LONG TIME AGO SO
THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I HAD
ALWAYS WONDERED IF HE’D BEEN
SEEN, HOW COME HE WASN’T ALLOWED
TO BE TAKEN OUT.
THEY KNEW WHAT THE SUICIDE
BOMBER PLANNED ON DOING, WHY
WASN’T HE ALLOWED TO BE TAKEN
OUT?
FLATTHERE HASN’T BEEN ANY QUESTI
THAT I’VE HAD THROUGHOUT ALL
THIS HASN’T BEEN ANSWERED.
PETE: WHERE DO YOU LAY THE BLAME
FOR THE CHAOS AND THE DEATH OF
YOUR SON?
>> ON THIS ADMINISTRATION.
PETE: ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP?
GENERALS, PENTAGON OR ACROSS THE
SPECTRUM?
>> ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP.
PETE: I CERTAINLY KNOW A LOT OF
OUR VIEWERS FEEL THE SAME AND WE
CANNOT MOURN WITH YOU MORE IN
THE LOSS OF BOTH OF YOUR SONS,
THE GENERATIONAL AND FAMILY
IMPACT CANNOT BE UNDERSTATED.
GOD BLESS YOU FOR HAVING THE
COURAGE TO COME ON WITH US AND
WE’LL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO
REMEMBER THE LEGACY OF LANCE
CORPORATE KAREEM NIKOUI.
THANK YOUS FOR THE SURGE TO COUR