Mikel Aaron Justus – Private First Class, United States Army

On October 31, 2009, Mikel Aaron Justus sustained an accident that caused the immediate loss of his life.

Mikel was born on July 1, 1982 in Grundy, Virginia. He lived in Richlands and Tazewell for most of his life before joining the United States Army in 2005.

Mikel was an avid golfer. It was by far the sport of his choice. He was a self taught golfer spending many hours at the Tazewell County Country Club while a child and teenager playing. In 1999, he took first place in the Junior Golf Boys 14-18 playoff.

For the past nine months, Mikel has been assigned to Walter Reed Medical Center for rehabilitation for injuries he received in November 2008. While at Walter Reed Medical Center, Mikel touched many lives, giving many soldiers hope from day to day to go on. He befriended everyone he met and he never met a stranger. He had a heart of love and would give or help people anyway he could. Mikel’s nickname at Walter Reed Medical Center was “Miracle Mike,” because they had witnessed actually seeing the miracles and changes in Mikel’s physical body.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Thomas Graham and Edna Lillian Hackney Justus; special aunt, Freda Smith, and three uncles, Roy Blankenship, Lester Blankenship and Donnie Blankenship.

Left to mourn his loss is his dad and mom, Mikel Ray and Marilyn Blankenship Justus of North Tazewell; his maternal grandparents, Eckman and Sylvia Blankenship of Woodman, Kentucky; several aunts, uncles and cousins including two special cousins, Jon and Erin Wellman who will miss him so much; special friends, Cindy Feldmann, Kami Chevalier, Bret and Bellind Chevalier and family, and the many friends that are too numerous to name from Walter Reed Medical Center and his church family at the Fountain of Joy Church.

Funeral services were conducted at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at Singleton Funeral Service Chapel at Cedar Bluff, Virginia, with Pastor Judy McKnight and Bishop Tom McKnight officiating. Burial followed in the Arlington National Cemetery at Arlington, Virginia.

JUSTUS, MIKEL AARON

• PFC   US ARMY
• DATE OF BIRTH: 07/01/1982
• DATE OF DEATH: 10/31/2009
• BURIED AT: SECTION 54  SITE 1296
• ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard