Army Staff Sgt. Michael “Mike” Simpson defied expectations.
While the U.S. Army Green Berets are known as “quiet professionals,” Mike stood out as both loud and proud — a vibrant presence in a community defined by discretion.
“He absolutely loved his job,” said Krista Simpson Anderson, Mike’s widow and founder of The Unquiet Professional, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Gold Star families as well as all military-connected families. “He was so proud to be a Green Beret. It wasn’t just a title to him — it was a calling.”
Mike was 30 years old when he died on May 1, 2013, in Germany — the same country where he was born. He succumbed to injuries sustained five days earlier from an improvised explosive device while deployed to Afghanistan with C Company, 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He is survived by Krista and their two young sons, Michael and Gabriel, who were just toddlers at the time of his passing.
Related: Watch a teaser of the video honoring Staff Sgt. Michael Simpson that will air on PBS during the concert.
This Memorial Day weekend, Mike will be honored at two tributes that speak to both national remembrance and community reverence. The first is the PBS National Memorial Day Concert, held in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, May 25, followed by the Project 33 Memorial Run in Hamburg, New York, on Monday, May 26.
Hosted by actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise, the annual concert takes place on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol and serves as a national tribute to America’s fallen service members and their families. According to event organizers, the evening will include “a special tribute remembering our fallen heroes and Gold Star Families, who carry forever the heartache of having lost their loved ones.”
Krista, who says she feels blessed to attend the event, will be joined by her sons, her husband, retired Master Sgt. Gus Anderson, and Mike’s parents and siblings.
“We’re incredibly honored that Mike is being recognized at this year’s National Memorial Day Concert,” Krista said. “To know that his story — and our story — will be shared on such a national stage, and preserved forever, means more than I can explain. We haven’t seen the final piece yet, but the team came to interview our family, and we know it will be something incredibly special.”
The concert will feature award-winning actors, musicians, and the National Symphony Orchestra. It will be broadcast live on PBS at 8 p.m. Eastern.
The following morning, the family will fly to Buffalo, New York, to take part in the Project 33 Memorial Run, a grassroots tribute that has grown into a powerful symbol of remembrance.
Project 33 is a not-for-profit founded by Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Gomolka and his wife, Samantha, to honor special operations soldiers killed during the Global War on Terror. Each year, the foundation selects one honoree and donates proceeds to a charity chosen by that soldier’s family.
Krista and Samantha first met through the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year network — Krista was named overall winner in 2018, and Samantha represented the National Guard in 2019.
“We quickly became kindred spirits,” said Samantha. “Meeting Krista felt like finding someone you’ve known your whole life.”
Project 33 has typically honored service members with a direct connection to Michael Gomolka’s own deployments. But this year marks a meaningful shift: Staff Sgt. Mike Simpson is the first honoree Michael Gomolka didn’t serve with personally.
“Krista has become such a powerful voice for our community,” Samantha explained. “When we began thinking about this year’s run, Mike Simpson was the first person who came to mind. Honoring him felt like the most personal way I could also honor Krista and her family.”
Though Krista has supported the run virtually in the past, this will be her first time participating in person.
“It was so important for me to have us there because this will be the first time that the boys will witness a group of people gathering for their dad since his funeral, and they don’t remember that,” Krista said. “And for them, now they’re 13 and 15, and they’ll be in the run, doing it with these people that are honoring their father.”
The Project 33 Memorial Run is not a race, but a pack run. A designated flag bearer leads the group, and no one passes the flag — a symbolic rule that reinforces unity and reverence. The 6.8-mile route begins at Hamburg Beach and ends at Hamburg Brewing Company. In the days leading up to the event, volunteers distribute flyers along the route, inviting residents to step outside and wave American flags as runners pass by.
“I cry the entire run, every year,” Samantha admitted. “It’s not just a run — it’s remembrance in motion. Every step carries the weight of a name, a story, and a sacrifice.”
While the event was born from the bond among warriors, this year also highlights the powerful sisterhood among military spouses. Several women from the military community — some of whom never met Mike — have stepped forward to support this tribute, from organizing logistics to running in honor of their own fallen.
“There’s something sacred about women coming together to hold space for one another’s grief,” Krista said. “It’s not just the brotherhood of the battlefield — it’s the sisterhood of survival, and of remembrance. That’s what this run has become.”
The strength of the special operations community — both the bonds forged in combat and those born of loss — remains the backbone of Project 33’s mission.
“Samantha and Mike pour their hearts into this,” Krista continued. “They’ve built something so beautiful — not just a tribute to the fallen, but a space where bonds are honored and healing can happen. I’m so thankful for them and this community.”
It has now been 12 years since Mike’s death — a number that holds deep meaning for Krista .
“There are 12 men on an ODA [Operational Detachment Alpha],” she explained. “So reaching year 12 feels significant. To have Mike honored this year — and by a Special Forces family — makes it all the more powerful.”
In 2025, funds raised through the Memorial Run and other Project 33 events will benefit the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation — an organization working to establish a national memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor those who served in America’s longest war.
The National Memorial Day Concert airs live on Sunday, May 25, from 8-9:30 p.m. ET on PBS, as well as to our troops serving around the world on American Forces Network. The concert will also be streaming on YouTube and www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert and available as Video on Demand, May 25 to June 8, 2025.
