Sergeant Michael Shuster, 82ndAirborne, United States Army. Michael attended Brown Elementary school in Florissant, Missouri and graduated Hazelwood North High School in 2007. He joined the United States Army in 2008 because of the hope it provided him in making a difference for America and his growth as a young man rising out of some difficult circumstances in North St. Louis County.
On the night of May 17, 2009, Sgt. Shuster departed in a convoy with his Bravo Troop 573 Airborne Recon unit for another mission in Baghdad Alanbar province, one of the most dangerous places in Iraq. Driving a Humvee with 4 of his fellow “All Americans” from the 82nd Airborne, Sgt. Shuster was hit with a first IED (Improvised Explosive Device). Immediately, his nervous system shut down and he could not feel his legs. But, his Humvee rolled on….hitting a second IED. At that point, the truck almost came to a stop, but still kept slowly rolling forward….hitting yet a third IED. The three-IED ambush, that was left to knock out three different trucks in his convoy, all hit Sgt. Shuster’s Humvee. Sgt. Shuster’s injuries are profound. He lost his left arm, suffered a traumatic brain injury, and was sprayed with shrapnel that remains embedded in his face and body to this day.
Despite these injuries, Sgt. Shuster has a tremendous attitude and indomitable spirit all fostered by his loving wife, Kim, who has dedicated her life to caring for Michael in his post-injury recovery. While Sgt. Shuster did not believe that he would ever have children, as a result of his injuries, Kim and Michael were blessed with twin boys, Tristen and Wyatt, born in 2011. The boys are the center of the Shuster’s universe and help drive him to continue to recover from his war injuries.
