DON McDERMOTT MORE COLUMNS Advertisement

First, on behalf of my daughter Jennifer, her sisters Jan and Gina and son Michael and the rest of the McDermott clan, thanks to all of the people in the Pahrump Valley and beyond, who expressed their condolences and sorrow over the loss of Jennifer's only child -- and now our hero -- Mikey Murdock.

On Sept. 11, Mikey, 22, was killed in a Taliban ambush on Combat Outpost Lybert, an outpost that protected a small air base in the mountainous terrain of northeast Afghanistan. His funeral, after nine days of heart-wrenching preparations and nine tear-filled nights, was Sept. 20 in Washington, N.C.

Mikey was buried with full military honors in Oakdale Cemetery in Washington, the first town in the continental United States named in honor of the first United States president, George Washington and a strategic location for both the North and the South during the Civil War. Washington was also the home of Dominique Wilkins, who led the hometown high school basketball team to 54 consecutive wins, then starred at the University of Georgia and is considered one of the NBA's all-time great players.

Mikey, a 2004 graduate of Washington High School, joined the U.S. Army because he wanted to make a difference in this strife-torn world. He enlisted in June 2006 and celebrated his 22nd birthday in Afghanistan July 7, less than a week after arriving in that country with the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (the famous Big Red One, which has its permanent base and training facilities in Fort Hood, Texas).

Tessie Brooks, sister of Walter Murdock, Mike's father, said her nephew said that "joining the army would mean going to war.

"Mikey knew there would be a chance he might not come back home alive," said Tessie. "Our Mikey died a hero to his family, friends and the United States."

Jesse Woolard, a veteran of fighting in Iraq, and Mikey's best friend said, "I wish I could have been there to protect you," but he reminded us in paraphrasing the gospel of John 15:15, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Michael McDermott, his uncle, said Mikey loved baseball.

"He struggled ... he was so little ..." said Michael. "It took him more than two seasons to get his first hit (a looping single to right field) and when he finally got it, fans in the stands chanted his name 'Mikey! Mikey! Mikey!' The great thing was," said Michael, "Down at first base, he acted like he got hits like that all the time."

One of my favorite recollections was in November 1995. He was part of a family entourage that traveled from North Carolina to Ohio to attend my mother's funeral.

I had to go to the office and Mikey tagged along. He asked for a pencil and some paper so he could "write a story for you, Grandpa."

Mikey sat quietly for about 20 minutes, carefully printing his story about his favorite player, NBA star Shaquille O'Neal. The story was about 150 words long ... not one was misspelled. "What a kid," I thought, "Maybe I've found my replacement in this profession."

There were many photos of Mikey on display, at Jennifer's home and later in the funeral home and church. The funniest was of him sitting in a grocery cart, mugging for the camera as he held a bottle of pop.

It was memories like that which led Ginger Spencer, an aunt, to say, "It's very sad ... what happened to Mikey doesn't seem real."

The sadness is palpable and at times crushing ... especially for his mother, who has lost her only child ...

There is so much more of this story which could be related, but this tragic episode is affected by intense concern.

Scott Lee, the son of my daughter Gina and Mikey's cousin, is on temporary leave, but in October, he is scheduled to return to Iraq. Pray for him and all of our other brave Americans in harm's way ...