After three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Dickinson II of Battle Creek was preparing to leave the war.
"He told me he was on his last mission and he would be home," Dickinson's mother, Vicki Dickinson said Tuesday, a day after her son was killed by a sniper in Ramadi, Iraq. "But he's not supposed to come home like this."
Dickinson was with a Marine Corps patrol when the sniper killed him and wounded another soldier, his family was told. He was one of three American soldiers killed in separate attacks on Monday. The other two died in Baghdad.
A member of the 4th Psychological Operations Group from Fort Bragg, N.C., Dickinson was scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of the month. He was packing and training his replacement. He wanted to continue his studies to be a physician's assistant and work in a clinic in his wife's native home of Puerto Rico.
Now his mother and other members of his family in Battle Creek are preparing to travel to Fort Bragg to join Dickinson's wife, Glorygrace, their daughter, Abigail, 2, and his wife's four children for a memorial service Thursday. Local services are not yet scheduled.
A 1998 graduate of Harper Creek High School, Dickinson and his adopted brother, Darrell Morris, decided in the 11th grade they wanted to join the Army, following his late father and both grandfathers, who were in the military.
"He came from a long line of fighters," his mother said, "and he believed in his country. He left for the service one month after graduation."
Even as youngsters, the brothers awoke at 3 a.m. for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and milk so they would grow and be ready for the Army.
Dickinson had been working in the relatively safe area of Fallujah, his family said, but was concerned about some members of his unit in Ramadi and volunteered two or three months ago to transfer there.
Ramadi, which has more than 400,000 residents and is described as one of Iraq's most violent cities, has roadside bombings and gunbattles every day. U.S. patrols have been confined to small sections of the city, and tribal leaders who have cooperated with U.S. forces have been assassinated or forced to flee the country, according to the Associated Press.
"He was safe but he felt they needed him and he was going to be with them," his sister, Carmen, 27, said.
"He volunteered because he was confident he could bring those boys home," his mother said.
Michael Dickinson felt it was his job to make sure everyone returned from the mission and that was true even on the mission where he died, family members said.
"The Marines really respected Michael," his mother said. "The men cared about him and they said they will find the sniper who shot him. He died a hero."
Carmen Dickinson said she watched her brother mature while in the military even as she remembers wrestling with her brother when they were children growing up on Vale Street, where Vicki Dickinson still lives.
"I used to kick his butt," she said. "I would pulverize him and then I would run."
Later, she saw him developing principles.
When she snuck out of the house late at night, Michael informed their mother.
"He felt obligated to tell," she said, "because he was worried about me being on the streets and he felt what he was doing was right."
In school, Dickinson wasn't the best student.
"He was smart but he didn't like school," Carmen Dickinson said. "His life was social, he slid by."
"He believed in doing his homework," his mother said, "but not in turning it in."
Active in football and basketball and in the band, Dickinson is pictured in his high school yearbook wearing a football jersey, a gold chain and his signature smile.
Al Miller, principal of Harper Creek High School during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 school years, remembers Dickinson's grin.
"He was always friendly and outgoing," said Miller, who currently serves on Harper Creek's school board. "He had a positive attitude and always dealt with people in a mature and positive way. He was admired and respected by both staff and students."
In another yearbook photo, Dickinson is featured with fellow student Shannon Hill while participating in the school's annual holiday project, in which students donated their time, food, money, clothes and toys to help 25 Harper Creek families during the holidays.
Miller said Dickinson would come back to the school and visit after graduation. The two would engage in casual conversation.
Michael Nauss, assistant superintendent of Harper Creek Community Schools, said Tuesday he spoke with Vicki Dickinson and offered condolences on behalf of the Harper Creek educational community.
"As a district, we work to develop responsible citizens of a global society," Nauss said. "Michael's service to our country is an honorable example of what it truly means to be a responsible citizen."
It was in high school that Dickinson began spending time with his best friend, Jason Feasel.
"I considered him my brother," Feasel said Tuesday at his Springfield business. "I have known him since seventh grade but we started hanging out our freshman year. We did everything together. When you click with someone you just click with them. He was easy to get along with and he was a great guy.
"He would do anything for anyone just like he did for his country."
Feasel was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident in July 2003 and, when Dickinson returned from Iraq that month, the first stop was Feasel's hospital room.
"It meant a lot to see him coming through he door," Feasel said.
"He had just bought a DVD player and he said, 'Hey man, you got a better use for this.' And I watched a ton of DVDs. He would give you the shirt off his back."
Feasel talked to Dickinson on Thursday. "He was telling me the place he was at was crazy and he was so happy to come back home. He was talking about his daughter and he had pictures to send me but he I didn't get those pictures."
Feasel also watched his friend mature and become a family man.
"I lost my best friend. It's a killer. But I am glad I got to be part of his life and I am glad he got to be part of mine."
Dickinson didn't tell his family much about the war or his job.
"We didn't understand how much danger he was in," Carmen Dickinson said. "He didn't talk about things over there."
"But he supported the military," Vicki Dickinson said. "What they asked of him was what he was going to do. It was his job and he was going to do his job."
She said people should remember her son as someone who was caring and "who took his responsibility in life seriously and wanted to do nothing but good."
"And what is more patriotic than giving your life for your country — willingly. He thought he was needed so he answered the call. I am very proud of my son."