Roadside bomb in Iraq kills Elma 24-year-old

BY CHRISTIAN HILL | THE OLYMPIAN • Published January 31, 2007

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ELMA - Army Sgt. Mickel Garrigus loved to stay active, his mother recalls.

Growing up in this small town in Grays Harbor County, he kept busy playing basketball and soccer and going to movies with his family, among other activities.

On Saturday, the 24-year-old military policeman was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Taji, Iraq, the Pentagon said Tuesday. He was two months into his second tour of duty in Iraq.

Sitting in her living room, Deadra Garrigus talked about her son while surrounded by pictures of him that will be displayed at his memorial service Saturday in McCleary.

She pointed out her favorite: her son and his wife, Natasha, kissing the forehead of their baby boy, Ethan, who recently turned 1.

"His pride and joy was his baby and his wife," she said.

Another passion was his military career.

His stepfather, Dave, encouraged Mickel and his brother, Matthew, to join the service. Matthew, now 23, served four years in the Air Force.

"(Mickel) loved the military. He lived for the military," his mother said. "He was going to make it a career."

He served as a guard at Guantanamo Bay before he transferred to Fort Lewis and was assigned to the 571st Military Police Company.

Match made at Taco Bell

In 2003, he spotted Natasha working at a Taco Bell near the Army post. He returned later and spent several hours there, getting up the courage to introduce himself.

She found herself attracted to his personality and blue eyes.

"He just had this confidence about him," she said. "He was like the sweetest and cutest guy."

They married Jan. 3, 2004, two weeks before he left for Iraq the first time.

Mickel returned a year later, re-enlisted and requested a transfer to a military police company based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

He continued to love sports. His mother sent care packages with newspaper clippings so he could follow his favorite team, the Seattle Seahawks, while overseas. His wife recalled waiting in line for hours at the Tacoma Mall so her husband could get an autograph from the team's starting quarterback.