Todd A. Motley
Corporal, United States Army
June 9, 1984 – September 14, 2007
Age – 23
Clare, MI
Operation Iraqi Freedom
6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX
Died of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations
Army SPC Motley was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Motley died of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Muqdadiya.
Todd graduated in 2003 from Pioneer High School, which is an alternative school for those kids who have problems in a traditional classroom setting. While at school, he set his goals, decided to join the military and met his future wife, Karen, with whom he has two young daughters. The couple were both 14 when they met at a summer event by Mid Michigan Community College. Both are graduates of Pioneer High School in Clare.
They were married on March 10, 2005, 11 days before Todd was sent to basic training at Fort Knox, KY. They have two daughters, Hannah, 2, and Kaylee, 9 months. Hannah was 2 months old when he left for Fort Knox. “I was scared at first, but I knew that’s what he wanted to do,” she said of his deployment. “He said he wasn’t any better than anybody else and that’s what he had to do. He knew when he joined the Army that that was a possibility,” she added. “We had discussed it.”
The couple kept in regular contact while he was in Iraq, although Motley said they could only talk about once a month. “He said he wasn’t scared,” she said. “There were a couple of times he said he was trapped, like it was pretty bad over there. But he said he was never scared.”
“It wasn’t too bad,” Motley said of Todd being at basic. “It was harder with two kids.”
Motley described her husband as an artist who loved to draw pictures and spend time with his family at the movies and the local park. She said he decided early in life he wanted to join the Army.
In March 2005, he entered the Army and proudly returned to his high school last year to meet with current students and offer them inspiration – he told them to never give up their dreams. Lori Enos, Todd A. Motley’s former principal, won’t forget the message Motley stressed during a speech last year to students at an alternative school. “He came in to talk about serving in the military, and about his experiences. He was promoting finishing school, hanging in there, and not giving up,” Enos said. “If you have a goal, keep pushing to reach that goal,” Motley told the kids. “He emphasized that.”
His awards include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge and Expert Weapons Qualification Badge. He was promoted to corporal posthumously. Todd was a terrific example of someone who never gave up – showed a resilience that is not often seen in young people. He was a quality person who was well liked by everyone who met him.