By June Mathews
When an M-60 helicopter crashed into the Mediterranean Sea near Cyprus in November 2023, five members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), also known as Night Stalkers, lost their lives.
No sooner had word reached their base at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, than the process of caring for their bereaved families was set in motion.
Early on, the phone rang in the Vestavia Hills home of Anne Anderson. Five families of the 160th had lost loved ones in the line of duty. Could she be available to support the wives during the difficult days ahead?
Anderson didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely,” she answered. She understood all too well what they were going through.
Her husband, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Anderson, also of the 160th, served during Desert Storm. On Feb. 21, 1991, he responded to a request for medical evacuation of a badly wounded soldier from deep in enemy territory. He was headed back to the medical facility when he flew into a sandstorm and lost visual reference with the ground. The aircraft crashed, and Anderson died in service of his country.
“I was 32 years old, and I had a 9-month-old baby,” his widow recalled. “It was a very, very challenging time. But I discovered that Michael’s unit had made a promise that families would be taken care of. They’ve kept that promise from day one, and I have no doubt that it will always be kept.”
But Anderson knew that moving forward wasn’t just a matter of being on the receiving end of care. To help herself, she needed to give back. So, when the next accident occurred, she made herself and the lessons she had learned from hard experience available to the grieving family.
“It was the best way I could honor Michael and the best way I could give back to the 160th for being so good to my child and me,” she said.
Anderson didn’t stop with that first family. To this day – 33 years after losing her husband – whenever she’s asked to encourage or somehow support another Gold Star wife, she always does.
“It’s painful because I live through losing Michael every time,” she said. “But the good part is I’ve made new friends, and we share a bond. We are each a member of a sorority that we never, ever wanted to belong to, but we’re there for each other, and the unit is there for us.”
Anderson works with the Families of Fallen Night Stalkers, a group in the Night Stalker Association that works to provide a network of support tailored to the families of the 160th’s fallen.
A proud mom moment came when Anderson realized her son, Kyle, felt a similar calling to help.
“He was only 9 months old when we lost his father; no recollection, no memories, except for me telling him things, but no true memories,” Anderson said. “After the accident in November, several very young children had lost their dads. So, Kyle wrote the mothers the most beautiful, supportive letter telling them that their children will be OK. He supported them in a way that only a child who had lost a parent can do.”
In his letter, Kyle expressed a wish to hear stories about his dad from someone other than his mother.
“After I read that,” Anderson said, “I wrote to some of Michael’s friends and asked them to reflect back on things that Kyle might like to know about his dad, maybe things he could pass along to his new son. The letters Kyle received were remarkable, and I learned a lot myself, things I had no idea about.”
Kyle now has a 4-month-old son of his own, named Michael for his grandfather.
Anderson encourages other soldiers to write down stories about the people they’ve served with who died so that those stories can be shared with the children who lost their fathers.
“And to do it as soon as possible,” she said. “It’s hard to remember specifics 10 years later. I’m encouraged to hear that this is happening for the children who lost their fathers in November. This is something they can treasure for the rest of their lives and maybe even share with their children.”
An Annual Tribute
Each year, during the last week in May, Anderson returns to Ft. Campbell for an annual event called The Week of the Night Stalker Association. A reunion of sorts, the gathering is a time of fun, celebration and remembering. Families and friends from their military days enjoy time together, recreational activities and events, including alumni dinners for each hangar. The dinner Anderson attends takes place in the Anderson Hangar, named in memory of her husband.
“I get to meet the people currently working in the Anderson Hangar,” she said. “Some of the people are in their 80s and long retired, but they still come back to see their brothers.”
The gathering also includes a memorial ceremony during which all the names of the unit’s fallen soldiers are read aloud.
“Every name is read, and everyone is remembered,” Anderson said. “It’s a difficult time for the families, but the other side of that coin is that somebody is still saying those names. When I’m long gone, somebody will still be saying Michael’s name and remembering him.
“He was my hero.”
Memorial Day Commemorations
Ceremonies and festivals will be happening across the country between now and May 27 to recognize America’s fallen military heroes.
Among those events are ones being offered at Alabama Veterans Memorial Park, Alabama National Cemetery and American Village will hold commemorative events to mark Memorial Day.
Alabama Veterans Memorial Park
A step stone dedication ceremony and tribute to veterans will be held Sunday, May 19, at 1:30 p.m. The step stones – 4×8-inch pavers engraved with the honored veterans name, rank and branch of service – are installed twice a year beneath the 120-foot-high American flag in the American Flag Plaza at the end of the park’s Memorial Trail.
The memorial park is off Interstate 459 at Liberty Parkway
Alabama National Cemetery
The Veterans Administration will hold Memorial Day commemoration ceremonies May 27 at more than 130 national cemeteries, including the Alabama National Cemetery.
The 16th annual Memorial Day Observance at the national cemetery in Montevallo will begin at 9 a.m. The ceremony will remember and honor fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice and will comfort and honor their families.
American Village
Admission to American Village will be free on May 27 in commemoration of Memorial Day.
Visitors can wander on the 188-acre campus near Montevallo, visiting replicas of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the President’s Oval Office, Concord Bridge and the West Wing of Independence Hall, among other attractions. Military vehicles and reenactors will be onsite and family-friendly activities will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The country’s fallen military members will be honored and remembered at an 11 a.m. service in the Colonial Chapel.
