C Co. 2-37 Armor

Born: 27 Feb 1979

Killed in Action: 4 Apr 2004 (aged 25) in Baghdad, Iraq

Burial:    Paso Robles District Cemetery, Paso Robles, California

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SSG Michael W. Mitchell, C/2-37 AR was killed in action in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq on this day in 2004. Following in his father’s footsteps, Michael enlisted in the Army in 1997. By 2003, he was the widely respected maintenance team foreman for C/2-37 AR. On 4 April, he volunteered to serve as a tank loader on a mission to rescue a platoon of soldiers who had been ambushed on the first day of Shiite riots instigated by Muqtada al-Sadr. During that mission, Mitchell was struck and killed by small-arms fie. Michael was just 25 years old and looking forward to returning home to marry his German fiancee, Bianca Liebl. He re-enlisted just 3 weeks prior to his death.