Sisters Accompany Slain Soldier's Body Home
Oct. 27 E-Mail: Please Keep Us In Your Prayers
Posted: 7:43 am CDT April 12, 2004Updated: 3:19 pm CDT April 12, 2004
The Witmer family has become familiar to many in Wisconsin because all three daughters have been serving in Iraq. Now they must bury one.
Pvt. Michelle Witmer, 20, of New Berlin, died Friday when her Humvee came under attack. She had been stationed in Baghdad since March of last year with the Guard's 32nd Military Police Company.She is the first woman in the National Guard ever killed in combat, and she's the first member of the Wisconsin National Guard to die in combat since World War II.Michelle and her older sister Rachel, 24, were both members of the 32nd Military Police unit in Baghdad, which we have featured regularly on News 3.Michelle's identical twin sister, Charity, is also in Baghdad with the 118th Medical Battalion.Charity and Rachel are accompanying their sister's body home. They're expected back in Wisconsin today.
Michelle Witmer (pictured, left, saying good-bye to her sister last year) loved her family more than anything; saying goodbye last spring when the unit was deployed was tough. That was not nearly as tough as what her family is now going through."She made a real difference in the lives of many people both American and Iraqi," said family friend Joan Apt.Michelle was a freshman at UW-Milwaukee. She and her sisters joined the National Guard to help pay for college. Days after she received her mobilization papers, she had this to say during a war protest on campus: "It's a hard situation and what we really need now is support. We're leaving our families. I have a twin sister, and it's going to be really hard. As scary as it is I'm going to step up and do what I need to do."And she did. Michelle worked the night shift training Iraqi police officers in the worst part of Baghdad. In e-mails to her parents she spoke of insurgents, saying, "They frequently shoot at her building" and "i hear gunfire all the time."On Oct. 27 she wrote, "We're all pretty shook up with the bombings and the rockets, a few people from my platoon were hurt but nothing was life threatening. Please keep us in your prayers."That's how she ended every email.The sisters were reunited during a two-week leave at home in December. It was a happy time, and the last time all three would be together.The family is drawing upon Michelle's strong faith and those cherished moments to help them bury their child.The Witmer family is pleading with the National Guard because of Michelle's death to not send Rachel and Charity back to Iraq once the funeral is over later this week.The family feels it has sacrificed enough. The National Guard will be taking those requests to the Pentagon today.The family has also asked Wisconsin's senators to intervene on their behalf. As it stands right now, both girls will be going back.Funeral Set For WednesdayMichelle Witmer is the 16th Wisconsin soldier killed in Iraq. Funeral services are being planned for Wednesday at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield."Specialist Michelle Witmer is a hero whose service to Wisconsin and to her national will never be forgotten." -- Maj. Gen. Albert H. Wilkening, Wisconsin National Guard"She was determined not only to complete her mission and protect her unit, but also to make a difference in the lives of the Iraqi people she met," Wis. Gov. Jim Doyle
EYE ON IRAQ
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Watch ReportMichelle Witmer (pictured, left, saying good-bye to her sister last year) loved her family more than anything; saying goodbye last spring when the unit was deployed was tough. That was not nearly as tough as what her family is now going through."She made a real difference in the lives of many people both American and Iraqi," said family friend Joan Apt.Michelle was a freshman at UW-Milwaukee. She and her sisters joined the National Guard to help pay for college. Days after she received her mobilization papers, she had this to say during a war protest on campus: "It's a hard situation and what we really need now is support. We're leaving our families. I have a twin sister, and it's going to be really hard. As scary as it is I'm going to step up and do what I need to do."And she did. Michelle worked the night shift training Iraqi police officers in the worst part of Baghdad. In e-mails to her parents she spoke of insurgents, saying, "They frequently shoot at her building" and "i hear gunfire all the time."On Oct. 27 she wrote, "We're all pretty shook up with the bombings and the rockets, a few people from my platoon were hurt but nothing was life threatening. Please keep us in your prayers."That's how she ended every email.The sisters were reunited during a two-week leave at home in December. It was a happy time, and the last time all three would be together.The family is drawing upon Michelle's strong faith and those cherished moments to help them bury their child.The Witmer family is pleading with the National Guard because of Michelle's death to not send Rachel and Charity back to Iraq once the funeral is over later this week.The family feels it has sacrificed enough. The National Guard will be taking those requests to the Pentagon today.The family has also asked Wisconsin's senators to intervene on their behalf. As it stands right now, both girls will be going back.Funeral Set For WednesdayMichelle Witmer is the 16th Wisconsin soldier killed in Iraq. Funeral services are being planned for Wednesday at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield."Specialist Michelle Witmer is a hero whose service to Wisconsin and to her national will never be forgotten." -- Maj. Gen. Albert H. Wilkening, Wisconsin National Guard"She was determined not only to complete her mission and protect her unit, but also to make a difference in the lives of the Iraqi people she met," Wis. Gov. Jim Doyle Copyright 2009 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
