An Oak Lawn family remembers a fallen soldier Tuesday, as a man who accomplished his dream of being in the army.
Army Specialist Michael Isaiah Nance was recently killed while serving in his first deployment in Afghanistan.
“He loved his country and wanted to serve his country,” the soldier’s cousin, Trevor Harris said. “He died doing something that he loved.”
The cousin and great uncle of Nance said he loved his job, his family, and living life.
They said they spoke with him a week ago via FaceTime from Afghanistan.
“We had just experienced another loss in the family, so we were FaceTiming and catching up over that,” Harris reminisced.
The 24-year-old had just been deployed to Afghanistan two weeks ago.
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“He’s definitely going to be missed,” Nance’s Great Uncle, Kenon Forest said. “He looked forward to coming home for the family celebrations.”
His family says Michael’s dream was to serve his country and follow in his relative’s footsteps as a police officer.
“He begged his mom to join the Army,” Harris said.
The Chicago-area family hopes Michael’s death will inspire others to live their dream.
“Even if it seems that it’s tough, just try to live out your dreams so you will have no regrets and that’s what Michael did,” Forest said. “He lived out his dream."
The victim's mother flew to Delaware Tuesday night where the fallen soldiers will arrive from Afghanistan overnight to receive the body and bid adieu one last time.
