MAYNARD, OH -- The phone call every military family dreads came into the Morgan family home in Maynard early Tuesday morning. From a Department of Defense spokesman, Diana learned her husband, Sgt. Richard Morgan, of the 660th Transportation Unit of Cadiz, was killed by a land mine in Iraq. Within hours, more than a dozen family members had joined Diana to offer grief and comfort.

Sgt. Rick Morgan was 38 years old. He met Diana while he was stationed in Germany almost 20 years ago. They married there and celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary, as well as Diana's birthday, while he was home two weeks ago. It's a visit the family now views as a mixed blessing. In an exclusive interview, Morgan's sisters, Bonita Girty and Anita Gillespie tell NEWS 9 their heartache is profound, but their pride in their brother equally overwhelming. Morgan was essentially retired as a reservist when the war in Iraq began, and he re-enlisted with a promotion to Sergeant. He was their friend and family stalwart. While stationed overseas, Morgan would frequently keep several internet channels open at once, to stay in touch with as many relatives as possible. If he was scared, Bonita says he never told his sisters or anyone else. Morgan could never discuss the secret nature of his missions, but believed thoroughly in the war and in what he was doing.

The loss is devastating, heartbreaking and incomprehensible to the family of Sgt. Richard Morgan, but their pride sustains them, and will sustain them through the funeral and the many tough years to come, especially when they think at Diana and their two kids. "He wanted to go there and do this for us, so we have to look at that," says Anita, "It's very upsetting for all of us, but we have to be proud of him for what he did."

"He was a loving, caring, devoted father, husband and friend. He loved his country and died doing what he loved to do," says Bonita, "You really don't think about it until it happens to you. You don't understand until it hits home, and when it hits it hits hard." Anita agrees, "You can't ever get over a loss like this... We thank God we had him as long as we did, because we just saw him, and we hadn't seen him since last Christmas."

--Rick Terry, NEWS 9