SSgt. Michael Lamar Nelson's Obituary
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Veterans Services Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder recognize the service and sacrifice of Staff Sergeant Michael Nelson of Antioch. Nelson was assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment at Wheeler Army Airfield in Hawaii. Two 25th Aviation Regiment UH-60 Black Hawks were involved in a night time training exercise on August 15 when the flight crews lost contact with each other. Recovery efforts off the coast of Oahu revealed evidence of a crash with no survivors. Nelson was 30 years old.
Nelson served 11 years in the U.S. Army and enlisted while a resident of Antioch.
“Staff Sergeant Nelson bravely volunteered to serve his country and courageously joined the ranks of Black Hawk crews known for their commitment to support troops on the ground,” Grinder said. “This is a solemn reminder of the dangers our service members face in training as well as combat.”
Staff Sergeant Nelson is survived by his wife, Brittany Nelson of Kentucky, daughter Gabrielle and his brothers and sisters Delta DeDeaux, Caleb Nelson, Tyre Nelson, Terri Nelson, Tamarra Nelson, Noah Nelson and Taniicka Dobey-McBrien.
Visitation will be on Thursday, October, 19 11am-12:30pm at Spring Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery 5110 Gallatin Pike S, Nashville, TN. Graveside services will be held at the Nashville National Cemetery Thursday October 19, 2017 at 1pm directly after visitation hours.
During his time in service, Nelson received two Air Medals, The Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 3 Campaign stars, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral 3, the NATO Medal, the Basic Aviation Badge and the Meritorious Unit Citation.
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