Defense officials say Mickler and a fellow soldier who also died were wounded by small arms fire allegedly from a shooter described as “an individual from a military security group.” Military news source Stars and Stripes reported Saturday that the shooter was an Afghan security guard. Several foreign news sources reported that the security guard was also killed.
Four other Army soldiers assigned to the same squadron were also injured in the incident, according to the Second Cavalry Association website.
The shooting reportedly occurred at a Forward Operating Base about 20 minutes to the north of Kandahar.
Mickler, described by family members as a “true warrior,” worked in communications according to family. He leaves behind a 3-year-old son who lives in Germany with his mother.
Several family members travelled to Dover, Del. Sunday to be there when Mickler’s body returned to the United States. The family said they are unsure when his body will come home to Ohio. Funeral arrangements are pending.
While it is unconfirmed that the gun fire was deliberate, Stars and Stripes reports that, “Violence against coalition forces by security guards or Afghan forces is not unheard of. There have been at least four incidents during the past nine months.”
The DOD statement on the incident does not elaborate but says the shooting is under investigation.
Mickler, who was serving his third enlistment in the Army and had previously served in Iraq, was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment out of Vilseck, Germany.
Great-uncle Roy Hollis said Mickler had always seen the Army as a way of getting out of Dayton and fulfilling his life goals.
“He realized his parents couldn’t send him to college, so the military was a good option for him,” Hollis said. “He very easily could have been a casualty of the streets, but he was determined not to be caught in Dayton.”
Hollis said Mickler started training for the military in high school and excelled as an athlete, participating in track, football and wrestling at the varsity level. He was the wrestling team captain his senior year at Trotwood-Madison. “He was a leader,” Hollis said.
Uncle Sylvester Mickler said as the oldest boy in a big family, Mickler was a role model to his younger siblings. “He loved his family, his sisters and his brothers,” he said. The family kept in touch every day via social networking.
The family expected Mickler home for a family reunion in June, which according to Sylvester Mickler, the 29-year-old was really looking forward to.
Sylvester Mickler said he was proud to see his nephew excelling in the military when he visited him in Germany a few years ago.
“He took the younger soldiers under his wing. It was really good to see him prospering,” he said.
The family said it has been hard to mourn their loss knowing that Mickler’s death may not have come at the hands of the enemy, but a fellow solider. “It’s unfortunate for everyone. The family is grieving,” Hollis said. But he said he is consoled knowing that Mickler loved serving his country and knew the risk he was taking. “He was doing what he wanted to be doing,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2124 or kwedell@coxohio.com.
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