Joseph A. Miracle
Private First Class, United States Army
November 6, 1984 – July 5, 2007
Age – 22
Ortonville, MI
Operation Iraqi Freedom
2nd Battalion, 503 Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy
Killed by small arms fire in the Watafor Valley of Kunar Province, Afghanistan
Miracle was patrolling in a village in the Watapor Valley when his unit came under fire; He gave his life defending his unit and had only been in Afghanistan 35 days. His fellow soldiers have told his family the reason they got out alive was because of actions Miracle took when they were surprised by 30-40 insurgents.
Joe was a very smiley boy and a ham who didn’t mind being the center of attention. He loved children and became an uncle at a young age, happily babysitting when asked.
An avid churchgoer, Miracle once went with a youth group to Mexico during his spring break to do missionary work, and returned home with nothing but the clothes on his back and a smile, having given all of his luggage away to the poor.
In high school, Miracle was on the varsity baseball team and was a running back and co-captain of the varsity football team his sophomore through senior years. He was voted most valuable player multiple years. After graduating, he missed the physical and team environment of the football team and enjoyed motivating others and working as a team toward a goal. He wanted to see other places and learn a specialty.
Miracle signed up for the Army in April 2006 and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy. His generosity was again apparent when he gave to Afghani children most of the candy his family had sent him in a care package. He loved the Army and said, “We can either fight (extremists) over there or we can fight them over her”. He was very, very proud of himself and died a hero doing what he believed in.