Richard A Goward

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, spurred Richard “Ric” Goward to join the Michigan Army National Guard.

“He told me, ‘If I can’t protect my family, who can?’”, his wife Karen recalled him saying at the time.

Reflecting on her husband’s death April 14 in Iraq, she said he was “a wonderful husband and father.”

Goward enjoyed jujitsu and outdoor activities.

Goward, 32, of Midland, Mich., was killed when his truck entered a dust cloud and plowed into a truck in front of it. The Army is still investigating the accident.

Goward served in the Army from 1960 to 1996 and had been a correctional officer at St. Louis Correctional Facility in central Michigan since May 1999. Goward and his wife have two daughters, ages 8 and 5....