Army Spc. Michael A. McGlothin

Died April 17, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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21, of Milwaukee, Wis.; assigned to 115th Forward Support Battalion, Division Support Command, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed April 17 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol in Baghdad.

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Wake held for latest Wisconsin soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — A Milwaukee soldier killed this month in Iraq is remembered by a fellow soldier as a skinny, shy and somewhat awkward youth who became an example to others during basic training.

Drill sergeants went after him on a regular basis, harping on him to put on his “war face,” shout louder and assert himself, Sgt. Michael McGinnis said of Spc. Michael McGlothin at a wake Monday evening for McGlothin at Schmidt & Bartelt Funeral Service.

“At first it sounded like he was going through puberty,” McGinnis said.

But he said McGlothin just tried harder and, over time, his efforts became a rallying point for the other young men in his training group.

“I was always amazed at his courage,” McGinnis said. “He handled it in stride, and somehow he knew he would make it.”

About 300 friends, relatives and fellow soldiers gathered for the wake. Private burial was planned Tuesday at Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee.

McGlothin’s casket sat next to his guitar, surrounded by flowers and pictures of him as a young man.

The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon disgusted McGlothin and drove him to join the Army.

“You don’t ever want your children to leave under those circumstances, but I supported him,” his mother, Lucy Henzig, said. “I knew that in his heart it was something he had to do.

“He couldn’t let those deaths go. He wanted to make his mark and defend the country.”

McGlothin died April 17 while serving with Army’s 115th Forward Support Battalion in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device went off near his patrol. He was the 17th Wisconsin soldier to die in Iraq.

“He was always a team player, always helping, always doing his part and more, and always giving his time,” McGinnis said.

“I think back now and I have those memories of basic training, the moments, and his sacrifice for his country and the sacrifice of his family.”

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Another Wisconsin soldier killed in Iraq

MILWAUKEE — Michael McGlothin’s family was preparing to send him his first care package this weekend, but instead they are preparing for the soldier’s funeral.

The 21-year-old Army specialist from Milwaukee died Saturday in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device went off near his patrol, the military said. He became the 17th soldier from Wisconsin killed in Iraq.

His family and relatives learned about the tragedy about 9 a.m. Saturday, said his uncle, Kenneth McGlothin of Iron Ridge. That was just an hour after they planned a get-together to discuss what to send Michael, including candies and personal hygiene materials.

McGlothin was a motor transport operator with the Army’s 115th Forward Support Battalion, Division Support Command, 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas, said Cecil Green, a spokesman for the base.

He went on active duty Jan. 22, 2002, after serving in the Army Reserve and was among soldiers from Fort Hood who were deployed to Iraq in February and March, Green said.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks prompted McGlothin to join the military because he wanted to make a difference, his uncle said Monday.

“I believe he did (make a difference),” Kenneth McGlothin said. “In our eyes, he is a hero.”

Michael McGlothin was born in Hartford and raised in Friess Lake and Milwaukee.

He loved music, especially rock ‘n’ roll. He played the guitar in a garage band and was learning how to play the banjo, an instrument his grandfather played.

He wanted to go to college after his military service to become a producer in the record industry, his uncle said.

“He was very talented,” he said.

His family members delivered the sad news Monday at Friess Lake School District, where he attended middle school, said Desra Huss, who taught him math. The students and faculty had a moment of silence for him.

Huss remembered McGlothin as the “little guy with big glasses,” who worked hard at school.

“He was always very quiet, always very respectful,” Huss said, choked up with tears. “(He’s) just a very, very nice young man.”

She said losing the former student was like losing a family member, because the school had only 250 students when McGlothin attended and the students were close.

The 21-year-old was popular and enjoyed hanging out with friends, Kenneth McGlothin said. And like many men, he loved cars.

McGlothin remembers his nephew as a skinny child when growing up.

“That kid couldn’t cast a shadow,” he said. “He’s built like a shoelace.”

But family and friends supported his decision to join the military and go to Iraq.

“Naturally you are concerned about it,” Kenneth McGlothin said. “But he wanted to make a difference. He didn’t want to see innocent people get killed like (on Sept. 11).”

Michael McGlothin was last home for a visit during Christmas, but his father, Llewllyn, last saw him about a month ago, before he was sent to Iraq, Kenneth McGlothin said.

Llewllyn McGlothin was not doing well after hearing the news about his son, said Kenneth McGlothin, who visited him on Sunday.

The uncle said he still remembers one comment Michael McGlothin made while in Iraq.

“He told his friends if anything happened to him he wanted his family to know how much he loved them,” he recalled. “We are all going to miss him terribly.”

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Soldier from Wisconsin killed in Iraq

MIDLAND, Texas — A Fort Hood-based soldier from Wisconsin was killed just weeks after being sent to the Middle East, the Department of Defense said.

Army Spc. Michael McGlothin, 21, from Milwaukee died Saturday in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device went off near his patrol, the military said.

McGlothin was a motor transport operator with the Army’s 115th Forward Support Battalion, Division Support Command, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood spokesman Cecil Green said.

McGlothin was born in Hartford and went on active duty Jan. 22, 2002, after serving in the Army Reserve, Green said. He was among soldiers from Fort Hood who were deployed in Iraq in February and March.

McGlothin was the 17th soldier from Wisconsin killed in Iraq.

— Associated Press