*Ayden, Kali, Kayn and Micheal in 2014 after Micheal returned home from Guam. (Photo by Tonya Crabtree)*

The word “hero” has many different meanings to many different people. Some heroes have long lists of awards, honors, and medals; some heroes perform quiet noble deeds without being seen; some heroes simply have their family looking to them with gratitude. Anthony Micheal Pierce, a local Redwater man, is all of these.

Micheal, who graduated from Redwater High School in 2007, was headed down a path with little direction. “I was living on my own since I was 17 … even before graduation,” explains Micheal. “I worked dead-end jobs … and lived in a trailer with some of my buddies.” Knowing that he needed to make a change, he talked to a Navy recruiter at Central Mall in Texarkana.

At the time, he and his girlfriend, Kali, had already talked marriage. “I was scared but excited for him,” states Kali. “I knew this was the right move for him and our future family.”

Nine months later, on November 18, 2009, Micheal started boot camp near Chicago, Illinois, and then was assigned to “A” School at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. There, he trained as a naval construction electrician.

After graduation from “A” School, which included a 14-day leave, Micheal and Kali married at Calvary Baptist Church in Simms, Texas, on May 1, 2010. Soon after, he reported to duty in Gulfport, Mississippi, and was assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion #7 (or NMCB 7) as a part of the Seabees, which constructs bases, builds roads, bridges, and various other support facilities for the Navy. The Seabees’ motto is “We build, We fight!” Joining the Seabees was an easy transition for Micheal, who remarks, “I fit right in.”

Not long after Micheal finished an 8-week Expeditionary Combat Training course, Kali went into labor with their first child. Micheal was preparing to deploy but was given special permission for a seven-day leave. He drove home, only stopping for gas in Ida, Louisiana, at a place that was, unfortunately, closed. His pit stop caused him to miss the birth of their son, Ayden Micheal, by 5 minutes.

*Born on a military base and delivered by a military nurse, it was only fitting that Kayn’s newborn photos were taken with his Daddy’s military uniform.*

The new little family enjoyed togetherness for the full seven days. “I didn’t want to leave [them] but I had to do what I signed up for,” Micheal explains. Ayden was only weeks old when Micheal bid farewell and returned to Gulfport. Soon after, Micheal was deployed to Spain and assigned to camp maintenance spending eight months “fixing electrical things all over the place.”

In December of 2010, Micheal and his battalion returned home. A police escort, with sirens blaring, preceded the military buses from the airport to the base. “I heard the sirens … and I could not stop the tears. My dreams [of being together as a family] were finally coming true!” exclaims Kali. “I knew which bus was Micheal’s because the first bus is considered the ‘New Dad’s’ bus.” Micheal was surprised to see how much Ayden had grown. “It was a shocker to see my son … with big fat cheeks and all chunky! It was crazy!” exclaims Micheal.

*Three flight delays and bad weather conditions kept pushing Micheal’s arrival day after his third deployment. The family finally welcomed him home on February 15, 2014.*

In October, they welcomed a second son, Mikah Kayn, to their family. Three months later, Micheal was deployed on a detachment to Bahrain and Jordan. “I was stationed on Isa Air Base to build a movie theater for troops, then to Amman to build a large war plan and meeting room at the immense King Abdullah II Joint Operations Center. Micheal then went to Aqaba, where he built a tactical operation center to support a SEAL team in training. At one point, he and his fellow Seabees dressed up as terrorists to train the Jordanian military on how to clear a ship.

Micheal was then transferred to Petra to build targets for Marine tanks and aircraft. “It was super dry and hot … and you could look out for miles and see nothing but sand and flat desert rocks,” states Micheal. After a short transfer to Kuwait, Micheal was home again in September 2012.

With the war in the Middle East subsiding, Micheal’s battalion was decommissioned. He was allowed a transfer from NMCB #7 to battalion NMCB #11. During this transition, Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast. Micheal volunteered to help with clean up for three weeks and earned a Humanitarian Service Medal for his efforts. In 2013, Micheal was deployed to Guam and spent eight months building a water tanker treatment facility.

Once home again, Micheal was asked to serve on funeral detail for veterans. “I truly loved honoring veterans at their funerals … I did my best to honor those who came before me,” explains Micheal. “If I was ever thanked by a veteran for my service, I always thanked them back … they’re the ones that set it up for people like me.”

*After months of rescheduling due to the Navy, Micheal and Kali were married on May 1, 2010.*

After another decommissioning, Micheal was asked to join the fleet and be an electrician’s mate on board the DDG-68 The Sullivan’s, a Destroyer in a carrier strike group heading to the Arabian Gulf in January 2015. “Micheal was nervous to join the fleet. He had enjoyed being ‘boots on the ground’ for the Navy,” explains Kali. Consistently though, Micheal made choices that were best for his family even if he had reservations. “He has always been a good provider,” states Kali.

On the ship, “We were in tight quarters … everywhere,” exclaims Micheal. “We called our sleeping quarters ‘coffin racks’… and we shared 6 bathrooms with 60-80 people.” During the deployment, the fleet docked in Portugal, France, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. “It was amazing to see the different cultures and how they live. [Most Americans] take things for granted,” explains Micheal. “We have no idea how good we have it here.”

Keeping in touch during this time was tough for everyone. “Sometimes I would not get an email for days,” states Kali. While at sea, the family would go over a month without hearing Micheal’s voice. Kali wrote to him every day in a book that he could read later. “I was just so lonely without him,” says Kali.

Micheal was honorably discharged from the Navy and came home permanently on Kali’s birthday, July 13, 2017. The family moved back to Texarkana, and Micheal has worked for Hightech Signs as an electrician ever since.

*CE3 Anthony Pierce doing electrical work while deployed to Bahrain in 2012.*

While Micheal missed a lot of the boys’ baby years, he is making up for it now. “I love being a dad. I didn’t have support when I was younger … I choose to be super involved,” says Micheal. And support has always been extended to Kali, too. “When he was at homeport, he watched the kids while I worked and grew my photography business,” says Kali. “He changed diapers when most guys didn’t, and really helped out. Micheal made sure I graduated from college [to get my teaching degree] in 2018.”

Micheal continues to adjust to civilian life and “has struggled a time or two since he’s been home,” explains Kali. “Our dog, Dallas, is his emotional support dog … he seems to sense [when Micheal needs help] and calms him down.”

The family has also struggled with keeping their second son, Kayn, healthy, recently traveling back and forth to Medical City in Dallas to treat severe allergies and immunity issues. Also, they recently held a memorial for their baby, Daxton Mac, that died last year at 21 weeks.

It is often said the men and women of the military make sacrifices for our freedoms, but they also make great sacrifices for their families. Military families are not immune to sacrifices as well. Micheal Pierce is an example of doing what was needed because it was right. He did what was right, both for his family and for his country. How wonderful that he had and continues to have support from home. We, as Americans, will never be able to repay those who serve. But at our best, we need to be like Micheal. At the very least we should just say “Thank you.”

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