While in a transport convoy in Ramadi, Iraq, Sergeant Michael C. Barkey, 22, pictured left, was killed when a sniper’s bullet punctured the tire of the vehicle preceding him, causing the driver to lose control, and the vehicle to turn over.  After an investigation, the military changed his status from an accident to killed in action and posthumously awarded him a Purple Heart. 

Always quick to bring a smile to someone else’s face, fellow soldier Darcie O’Shea described him as the “heart of the 1484th.” 

Barkey, of Canal Fulton, Ohio, “came from a military family; his father, grandfathers, uncles, aunt, and brothers were all in the military,” says his mother. “The military made better people of all three of my sons.  It made them appreciate home and family, and what we have as Americans.”  Like many soldiers, he humbly viewed his job as nothing more than that – a job, expressing to his mother that his job was really not all that difficult and those on the front lines were in “real danger” while he was “just a truck driver.” 

This “mere truck driver” was responsible for the safe transport of many supplies throughout a very dangerous part of Iraq, and ultimately, his unit provided security to other convoys so that they may pass safely as well. “I have a lot of respect for the younger generation,” says his mother.  “I’m proud of what he did, I’m proud of the mission, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished there.”