Michael Sandknop in Najaf, Iraq, in August 2004, just after the Battle of Najaf cease-fire. He is standing with his Iraqi counterpart, with M-16 and video camera.
Michael Sandknop in Baghdad in November 2003, under the Crossed Swords, officially known as the Swords of Qādisīyah. “I was young, optimistic, clean and my rifle had all of its blueing,” he said. “Nothing was the same when I came home.”
Michael Sandknop in Iraq in 2004. “Here I am at the newly discovered mass graves south of Sumawa, Iraq,” he said. “I’m interviewing a civilian whose sole career is discovering and investigating mass graves. The bodies weren't exhumed until 2019.”
Michael Sandknop in a recent photo.
Master Sgt. Michael Sandknop of Festus spent a year in Iraq with the Army as a videographer.
“I arrived in Iraq in November 2003 and came home on Thanksgiving Day, 2004,” he said. “My job in the Army was 46 Romeo, Broadcast Journalist.”
Sandknop retired from the Army Reserve in 2009. He continues to produce videos, and enjoys spending time with his three sons, their wives and his grandchild.
