Hundreds gather in White Bear Lake to honor Master Sgt. Nicole Amor
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Hundreds of people lined Highway 61 in downtown White Bear Lake to pay their respects to Master Sgt. Nicole Amor, as police led her funeral procession from Eagle Brook Church to Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Friday.
The 39-year-old Army Reserve sergeant was a mother, wife, friend and avid gardener.
She was killed in a drone strike in Kuwait earlier this month. She was one of six U.S. soldiers killed in the strike — the first U.S. casualties of the war with Iran.
Amy Puschinsky, who is Dakota and lives in White Bear Lake, stood along the street with her family and burned sage.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
“I wanted to make sure that we started this procession in a good way,” she said, adding that White Bear Lake is tight-knit. “Any loss in this community is very much felt.”
While the war is a political flashpoint for some, Puschinsky, said she wasn’t surprised to see so many people out to support one of their own.
“There's a lot of mixed political views across the board in this community,” she said. “The fact that both sides are here to honor someone in this community says a lot about this community.”
Maj. Jesse Pope of Blaine is a company commander for the Minnesota National Guard. He held a large flag from the street corner.
“I'm here because a fellow comrade lost their life in service to this flag,” he said.
Pope didn't know Amor but said he's familiar with where Amor was stationed when she died.
“Many of us have stood in the same spot that Master Sgt. Amor was at,” he said. Shuaiba Port in Kuwait is a place that many people have seen over the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. So, you know, there's a thought of, ‘there but for the grace of God, go I.’”
Pope says military service members choose to do what few others will in putting on the uniform, so it's important people show them support, regardless of their political beliefs.
He says service requires a large sacrifice, and for Amor, it meant giving her life and leaving behind a family and community now grieving her loss.
Amor is survived by her husband Joey Amor and two children.
“She loved with all of her heart, and she always knew exactly when to throw that perfectly timed sarcastic remark your way,” her obituary reads. “That was her; strong, loving and real.”
