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Michael H Simpson

San Antonio, Texas

May 1, 2013

Age

Military

Rank

Unit/Location

Army

SSG

4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne)

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

Died in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit on April 27, with an improvised explosive device in Arian, Afghanistan.

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May 11, 2013

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May 13, 2013

SSG Michael Harrison Simpson SSG Michael Harrison Simpson, 30, of Olympia, WA born February 13, 1983 died Wednesday, May 1, 2013 in Landstuhl Regional Hospital, Germany as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan. The youngest son of LTC(R) Michael W. and Barbara (McCann) Simpson of San Antonio, Texas. Michael was the ultimate warrior who loved his family; his country; and his faith. Michael was a member of 1st Special Forces Group stationed at Joint Base Lewis McChord. Michael started his military career in 2003, serving in Iraq in 2007 and went on to be a highly decorated Green Beret. In 2008 Michael married his beloved wife Krista, whom he called his compass. They have two beautiful boys, Michael (Mic) Eugene age 3, and Gabriel (Gabe) Robert age 16 months. Michael's most prized possession was his family. Besides his wife, Krista and two boys Mic and Gabe, Michael is survived by a sister, Abigail (Abby) Simpson, a brother, SFC Isaac Simpson, his wife, Vanessa and their son, William; a brother, SGT David Simpson, his wife, Kelsey and their daughter, Anneka. He was also loved and will be missed by many including his team and his mother and father-in-law(s) Robert and Shelly Kolb and John and Mindy D'Orazio and their son, Michael Tirrell. A viewing will take place on Sunday, May 12, 2013 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Woodlawn Funeral Home in Lacey, WA. A funeral service will be held Monday, May 13, 2013 at 11 a.m. at St. Columban Catholic Church in Yelm, WA. Inurnment will follow at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to any of: Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Special Operations Wounded Warrior Foundation, Green Beret Foundation, Care Coalition.

Published in The Olympian on May 10, 2013

From The news Tribune thenewstribune.com 05/04/13:

Fallen soldier was a Green Beret in JBLM’s 1st Special Forces Group
Published: May 4, 2013
By ADAM ASHTON — Staff writer

A Joint Base Lewis-McChord Green Beret who followed his father into the Army’s Special Forces died Thursday at a military hospital in Germany from wounds he sustained in Afghanistan last week.

Staff Sgt. Michael H. Simpson, 30, leaves behind a widow, Krista, and sons Michael, 3, and Gabriel, 1.

His wife and other loved ones were with him at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center before he died, she said. He was hurt by an explosion on April 27.

“I’m so proud of him through everything,” Krista Simpson said Friday. “The man that he was when I met him, the man he grew to be, the father he was, and the person he made me.”

He is the third Lewis-McChord soldier to die in combat this year and the second from the 4th Battalion of the 1st Special Forces Group, reflecting how the fight has shifted to special operations teams as Stryker infantry brigades have returned to the base south of Tacoma.

Krista Simpson described her husband as a “badass” who lived out his dream to join the Special Forces. He’d show a softer side at home and embraced fatherhood as intensely as he pursued his military career.

His father, Michael W. Simpson, is a retired Special Forces lieutenant colonel who now works as the city manager of Olmos Park, Texas. The elder Simpson has sent messages to residents about his journey to Germany to meet his son over the past week.

“We’re warriors. We know things happen,” he once told The San Antonio Express-News.

The younger Simpson joined the Army in 2003 as an infantryman. He deployed to Iraq in 2007 with the Germany-based 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

He completed his qualifications to join Army Special Forces in July 2011 and later joined the 1st Special Forces Group at Lewis-McChord. He was assigned to its newest unit, the 4th Battalion.

Krista’s stepfather recently attended the Boston Marathon and was shook up by the bombings. Staff Sgt. Simpson sent him a message: “I wish there was something I could have done better in my job to keep this evil from happening,” the soldier wrote.

He wanted to try, even though he understood that a government could not always stop harm from falling on innocents.

“He believed that,” Krista said. “He believed God has a plan. There’s a reason for everything.”