Kyle Robert McKee 2/14/1985 – 11/12/2020 A life is more than a chronology of dates. It can be said that a long span of time inherently signifies a good life. In fact, the events of a life time, the experiences, and the people we touch and impact are far better indicators of a life well spent. Kyle McKee was a young 35 when his life ended abruptly on the desert sand of Egypt; but the people who knew him, loved him, we know he truly lived a good, full, honorable life. He touched so many lives, made so many friends everywhere he went, and made a difference in others lives. This is his story. Born on Valentine’s Day 1985 at 9:01 a.m., he was late. It was probably the last time in his life that he would be late except when things happened no one could control. Unexpected snow storms sending drivers off the road who were stranded and needed a pull. Or a flipped truck with kids who needed to be extracted. Or a helicopter crash on November 12, 2020 at 9:47 a.m. Kyle Robert McKee. His name in Gaelic translates to “handsome from the strait”. He was handsome. Intense, blue eyes. And perfect hair. The eyes were genetic. The hair was choice and obsession. Both were his signature. He was very intelligent. He could read something that interested him one time, and quote what he read ad verbatim months later. But if he was bored with a topic, he would ignore it. As a junior in High School, he had 110% in German, while nearly failing English. He was artistic which should have meant that he was flexible, but he often saw things as black and white, or right and wrong, with little room for diversion. And with all these traits that should have meant he was a very, very serious, stalwart person, he was, in fact, a major goof ball. Well actually, a SSG Goof Ball. As a child, Kyle had an affinity for all things Army. Year after year, he trick or treated in camouflage. No vampire or hobo or clown costumes for him; always the “army guy”. So it was no surprise that he ended up in the Army. He actually wanted to be a Marine at first, but the Marine recruiter dropped the ball, and the Army Recruiter picked it up and scored. Kyle couldn’t wait to get started. In fact, he went in at 17, early entry. When classmates went to band camp, football camp or 4-H camp, he went to Boot Camp…and thrived. He graduated Basic Training as Soldier Leader of the Cycle at 17. After that, his future was cast in stone. Upon returning to school, he realized that he was no longer just one of the students, and opted to graduate early, giving up his varsity football position to an underclass man. He felt giving someone else the opportunity made more sense. As a teenager, Kyle had varied interests. Guitar, art, languages, sports. He played baseball, and football, and wrestled. When an opportunity surfaced for him to try something new, he generally leapt at it. His favorite subject and passion was history, especially the armaments used in battles by the different countries in WWII. He read on the topic prolifically, and became a “student teacher” because his knowledge base went beyond what the text books contained. Kyle had an opportunity to go to college and then enter as an officer, but he wanted to work his way up through the ranks. He was a natural at aircraft maintenance, a thorough and proficient Blackhawk crew chief. He attended and graduate Air Assault, and later SEAR School. He never turned down training, and made it a point to express his interest in honing his skills. He jumped at the opportunity to earn his paratrooper rating, although it was well into his career. He had aspirations of earning the Jump Master rating. Kyle really was a “good soldier”, and he was good at soldiering. But he also excelled at pushing the limits. He knew the Army regulations down to the paragraph, and he made sure if he was held to a standard that others were too. He used that knowledge to put a personal signature on things like his hair style, sideburns, body art. People think that a person who has been to war has to be somewhat head-hearted. In fact, Kyle was a tender hearted person. He did not hunt. He maintained that if he had to kill in order to feed his family or survive, he was very capable of killing an animal. But he preferred to live and let live. On leave from Iraq, he sat for hours with q-tips and nail polish remover to free a mouse that was stuck to a sticky trap. He had dogs and other pets throughout his life, including Duke and Charlie who travelled with him from Ft. Campbell to Alaska and then Washington. Kyle had deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Korea. He was stationed in Clarksville, TN, Alaska, Washington state, and CA (for Arabic school), before moving to Ft. Bragg, NC. He was supposed to move his family to Fort Eustis, VA upon his return from Egypt where he was going to finish his career as an instructor. Kyle left his wife, Nikki, sons Jackson and Canaan, and his daughter Isla Fayre, along with his parents, Steve and Robbie McKee, Brother, Shane McKee, and Sister, Lisa Stone, his in-laws, Rick and Krista Montgomery and Jordon Montgomery, his nephews and niece, many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He is missed by so many people. Forever in flight. Until Valhalla.

Steven McKee, Father