Their marriage was something they had both hoped and planned for and I knew they were both ecstatically happy to finally be married. As high school sweethearts, they had shared homecoming, high school prom and other dances, and finally, high school graduation. Misty and Michael had been together for four years. “If the enemy ever spots us, we’d have about seven seconds to live.” His statement was made matter-of-factly. When he told me about the job he had chosen, I looked questioningly at him, asking, “That’s a dangerous job, isn’t it?” “Yes,” he answered. His job was to help sight targets for the Apache attack helicopter, should our Armed Forces ever become involved in war.

He was assigned to Hunter Army Air Field, Georgia, where he worked as an Aero Scout Observer for A Company, 1/24th Aviation Regiment. He had joined the Army after they both graduated from Leavenworth High School in Leavenworth, Kansas. Misty was living with Michael in Savannah, Georgia. My second child, my daughter Misty was 19 and had just married her high school sweetheart, Michael on April 24, 1990. Lisa, Wayne and Patrick were living with me and my husband Clarence in Rapid City, South Dakota. My youngest child, Patrick had just turned 18. My oldest daughter, Lisa was 21 and had married her Fiancée, Wayne on New Year’s Day, 1990. It was a good feeling to know that I had successfully raised three children to adulthood. This is my story of what happened to us when Saddam Hussein gave his army the order to invade Kuwait. Through our loss of Michael, our family has become more acutely aware of the preciousness of life and how important it is to cherish the time we have with our loved ones.

It was one of the hardest experiences of my life.

He died with his Pilot, Hal Hooper Reichle when their OH-58 Kiowa Scout helicopter crashed while on a reconnaissance mission in the Republic of Iraq on Wednesday, February 20, 1991. My son-in-law, Michael David Daniels, was one of the soldiers killed in Operation Desert Storm.

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