United States Army Staff Sergeant • Line of Duty Death: August 14, 2007

United States Army Staff Sergeant Keith Robert Mitchell passed away on August 14, 2007 due to injuries he sustained while on deployment.

Mitchell was born and raised in Poway, California. Having been the youngest of three brothers, he always tried to prove that he could handle anything they threw at him, landing him in innocent, but mischievous trouble. Mitchell’s father served in the US Navy and was often deployed, leaving his mother to raise him and his brothers. In his teenage years, he and his father loved to sail together and take road trips to see family across the United States. Additionally, Mitchell loved to explore, surf, and be outdoors, as well as comic books, art, and history. While both working at a small bus station in Poway, California, Mitchell and his future wife, Angelique, met and instantly knew they would spend the rest of their lives together. They dated for four years before eloping in 1996.

After speaking with a recruiter, the promise of adventure intrigued and appealed to Mitchell. As such, he decided to join the US Army in November of 1989. He loved everything about it; the promise of adventure was kept and he enjoyed serving his country and helping others in the role of a job. His main goal was to serve until retirement and continue his adventure with the Army afterwards. Throughout his honorable career, Mitchell was promoted to E-3, Private First Class with the 3/325 Airborne Battalion out of Vicenza, Italy, where he served until November 1992. He served in the first Gulf War in Northern Iraq to protect the Kurds with the 3/325 Airborne Battalion. He rejoined the Army Reserve in their Psychological Operations Unit as a Specialist in August 1997. He transferred from San Diego, California to Charlotte, North Carolina to the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion in December 1999. He served in Iraq again, as a Sergeant, for eight months in 2003 with the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion. Unfortunately, Mitchell’s service in Iraq was cut short after being seriously injured in Baghdad and medically retiring after over three years of treatment. He spent those years at Walter Reed AMH where he had an experimental, first-of-its-kind surgery to reattach his right arm. His goal was to be able to lift his daughter over his head, who was born one year after he returned home. He achieved his goal, after 34 successful surgeries. Although he prospered through his treatments, his body began to break down over time. He developed Type 1 diabetes, congestive heart failure on the left side, and kidney failure. With overwhelming pain, Mitchell was in and out of the hospital every few weeks. Mitchell sadly lost his battle in August of 2007, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Angelique currently resides in North Carolina with her daughter. She prides herself on her passion, which is being a mother. However, her hobbies include working on old cars, which she picked up with her father as a child, baking and decorating cakes, and building things, such as small pieces of furniture, shelving, and cages for her pets. Additionally, Angelique loves the ocean, being in the water and looking for shark teeth and other fossils, and has a curiosity for science and marine environments. She graduated in 2024 with her third master’s degree in Marine Science, Conservation of Predators, and wrote her master’s thesis about the ecosystem health of Wilson Bay. She has big dreams of continuing her independent research on juvenile sharks in her area. Receiving the donation of a mortgage-free home from Tunnel to Towers has granted financial stability to Angelique and her daughter. She is grateful for the burden being lifted off of her shoulders and plans on using extra funds to support her daughter’s college education and dreams beyond school. Finally, Angelique would like others to know that Mitchell was an amazing and charismatic man, husband, father, son, brother, and uncle. He had the best smile, hugs, and kind words that would brighten anyone’s day. He was funny, enjoyed teasing, pulling pranks, and telling jokes. He would literally give his shirt or shoes to others in need and came home on numerous occasions without pieces of clothing because “someone needed it more than me.”

United States Army Staff Sergeant Keith Robert Mitchell is survived by his loving wife, Angelique, and his beautiful daughter, Mary.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has provided the Mitchell family with a mortgage-free home through the Gold Star Family Home Program.