In support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Specialist Todd A. Motley of Clare, Michigan, was one of four soldiers who lost their life during combat operations outside Baghdad on September 14, 2007. Specialist Motley, along with Staff Sgt. Terry Wagoner of Piedmont, SC, Spec. Jonathan Rivandeneira of Jackson Heights, NY, and Pvt. Christopher McCloud of Malakoff, TX, suffered mortal wounds upon the detonation of an improvised explosive device near their vehicle. Each of the men were assigned to B Troop, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.  

Motley joined the Army in March 2005 after graduating Clare Pioneer High School in 2003. “Todd was one of your ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ kids,” says Pioneer Principal Lori Enos. Enos described Motley as creative, loyal and “outgoing but not obnoxious.” As a testament to Motley’s character, hundreds of residents and schoolchildren in and around the community of Harrison, Michigan, lined the streets and waved small American flags as the funeral procession drove past.  “He came in to talk about serving in the military, and about his experiences. He was promoting finishing school, hanging in there, and not giving up. If you have a goal, keep pushing to reach that goal,” says Principal Enos about Motley’s speech he gave at the Alternative High School in the Clare Public School District only one year earlier. “He emphasized that.” Specialist Todd Motley is survived in Arkansas by his wife Karen, of Clare, his two daughters Hannah and Kaylee, also of Clare, his brothers Ian and Nickolas, his maternal grandmother Marcia Dolin, and his mother Renee, all of Hoxie, Arkansas.