Cpl. Clifton of Decatur, Illinois was the oldest of three girls growing up in Mount Zion where she was active in the Mt. Zion Police Department Explorer's Program. She was a NASCAR enthusiast who collected Jeff Gordon memorabilia and hoped to see the day a woman would win a big race. She loved to shop and eat out, especially at El Matador and Red Lobster restaurants when she was home on leave. She was attending college in Germany, where she was stationed with her unit and had talked about possibly joining the state police later in her life. Karen moved to Fort Myers, Fla., during her junior year of high school with with her half-sister, completing high school in 2003. After graduation, Clifton returned to Illinois, where she signed on for a five-year hitch with the Army. P CO, 759th MP Battalion, 89th MP Brigade, United States Army, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. She has been posthumously promoted to the rank of Corporal and has been awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, Combat Action Badge, and the Army Good Conduct Medal. Karen died in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when her vehicle was hit with a rocket propelled grenade at age 22.
Army
554th Military Police Company
95th Military Police Battalion
Kaiserslautern, Germany
Army
554th Military Police Company
95th Military Police Battalion
Kaiserslautern, Germany
Cpl. Clifton of Decatur, Illinois was the oldest of three girls growing up in Mount Zion where she was active in the Mt. Zion Police Department Explorer's Program. She was a NASCAR enthusiast who collected Jeff Gordon memorabilia and hoped to see the day a woman would win a big race. She loved to shop and eat out, especially at El Matador and Red Lobster restaurants when she was home on leave. She was attending college in Germany, where she was stationed with her unit and had talked about possibly joining the state police later in her life. Karen moved to Fort Myers, Fla., during her junior year of high school with with her half-sister, completing high school in 2003. After graduation, Clifton returned to Illinois, where she signed on for a five-year hitch with the Army. P CO, 759th MP Battalion, 89th MP Brigade, United States Army, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. She has been posthumously promoted to the rank of Corporal and has been awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, Combat Action Badge, and the Army Good Conduct Medal. Karen died in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when her vehicle was hit with a rocket propelled grenade at age 22.
Army
554th Military Police Company
95th Military Police Battalion
Kaiserslautern, Germany
Army
554th Military Police Company
95th Military Police Battalion
Kaiserslautern, Germany
